Manifesto on the Teaching of Mathematics (2015)

The first bit is interesting. I really didn't get excited about math until I had a TI89, and then I was obsessed with reverse engineering it. Eventually, I would build my own computer algebra system while doing math grad school.

Relevant: Lockhart’s Lament (https://www.maa.org/sites/default/files/pdf/devlin/Lockharts...)

Is there something similar to this, but for school-grade mathematics?

I agree with this manifesto wholeheartedly, just it’s too damn difficult to think of all the whys on the spot to get my son to be interested in that.

He’s doing “remote learning” at home, it’s basically Coursera-like lessons, since his school was hit by artillery during the first month of the war with Russia, and it still doesn’t work.

One of my most memorable courses in undergraduate was taught by a spritely lecturer who must've been in his 80s. He'd make a statement or proposition, write it on the board, then quickly turn around, point at a student somewhere in the classroom with an open palm, and shout, "do you believe this?"

It was partly theatrical, but it seemed genuine. It was very engaging and it really prodded me to consider whether what he was telling us was true. It piqued my curiosity and motivated me to do my homework to watch someone so filled with energy trying to get a bunch of undergrads excited about multivariate calculus, especially at his age.

I think I speak for many here when I say that I'm more motivated to learn stuff when I can clearly articulate what benefit I will derive from having mastered the material. "Because it's going to be on the exam" never cut it for me. Unfortunately, I found that I was in a tiny minority of intellectually engaged students for the majority of my undergraduate years; the rest of my peers were much more interested in all-night cramming for the exam followed by a weekend of binge-drinking.

I don't know how well the approach in this essay would work for the general population, but it certainly sounds much more interesting to people who actually find studying mathematics enjoyable.

I read the manifesto and somewhat disagree with the claim "It follows that we must not introduce any topic for which we cannot first convince the students that they should want to pursue it."

But in skimming the book, it's just seems not very good.