[Maths-Education] Dated references

[Anne Watson]

Dear All

I seem to be busy this afternoon!

Further to my previous message about referees complaining about 1999 being 
a 'dated' reference, how about this one?

A UK colleague has just been told that referencing Schoenfeld, Polya and 
Mason for problem-solving is 'dated'.  Oh come on!  I know I have a 
personal interest in Mason, but 'Mason, Burton and Stacey 1982' is still in 
print after 20 years in several major languages, and is a core text in many 
countries.... and there is nothing like it. Schoenfeld 1985 is based on 
extensive and careful research and is also unsurpassed.  Polya ... well 
come on, who has done a better job than Polya???

There is, I agree, some more detailed work on advanced mathematical 
thinking around, but that is around 1991 so we can't have that, and some 
work from psychologists dating from as far back as 1996 ... but that is 
different stuff, and though very useful does not deal with the same kind of 
thinking at all.  Come to think of it, are we all meaning the same thing by 
'problem-solving'?

While I am about it what about Aristotle, Archimedes, Plato.....??

What may have been meant is that my colleague has missed some genuinely new 
developments in mathematical problem-solving which the reviewer thinks s/he 
should have known about, but then maybe the reviewer should have said what 
these are so a dialogue can begin.

But does that make Polya 'dated'?  I would like to hear from anyone who 
does mathematics and has read Polya in what way he is dated.

Anne Watson

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Dr Anne Watson
Tutor for Admissions and Fellow of Linacre College
Lecturer in Mathematics Education,
Department of Educational Studies,
University of Oxford
15 Norham Gardens
Oxford OX2 6PY

phone:	44-(0)1865-274052
fax:		44-(0)1865-274027