Math, they don't like it. FIX IT!

So I'm reading news again: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/education/edlife/07books-t.html?_r=1&ref=mathematics

This is an article, by Kenneth Chang, in the New York Times about how Math is "hard". While most of the article supports the beginning statement of "MATH is not an easy subject." there is some information about what some people are doing to fix that. What caught me about this article though, is some of the statements such as the following:

"Mathematics is, in itself, an exercise in the abstract — twiddling funny squiggles on paper, really, which is fairly pointless except to mathematicians. It’s when math is applied to the universe that the mental game becomes something useful. Budgets can be balanced, bridges designed and laws of physics deduced. So good math education is in society’s best interest."


I'm sure this is not the only place where you can find something that says "Math is pointless." But the wording of it made me think...well this can apply to various studies because when you think about it, everything is kind of pointless unless it applies to something we are familiar with.  For example, I'm going to reword it:


"Graphic Design is, in itself, an exercise in the use of type and imagery - changing font size, crafting or manipulating imagery and communicating information visually is all pointless except to designers. It's when design is applied to things such as advertising or marketing that the creative process becomes something useful. More products can be sold, messages get visual interpretations in an image-based culture, and a little bit of information can have a huge impact. So good design is in society's best interest."


Now, I didn't do that to be mean, but just to prove a point. For the most part, I side with the article when it says that things should change about the way we teach mathematics. While I am not a huge fan of the books exampled within the article because of how silly they seem to me because they were not exactly written for a person like me, I applaud them for reaching out to various audiences and doing its intended job with some success.


The reason why I like to rant about articles like this is because I too believe that math can be taught better yet my methods would involve bringing the power of information transferring that is Graphic Design. People like and are influenced by good design whether they realize it or not. But based on some discussions I've had with some math folk, they are on the same boat of not knowing lickity-split about what Graphic Design is and that's fine. But if they did and are able to harness the power of it, those Algebra II books would definitely be a lot easier to read.