Florida rejects math books containing CRT

[Skye1300]

Since Florida won't tell us what the objectionable material is, Popular Information looked at the textbooks in question and tried to determine the banned content. Maybe they did a bad job, maybe they did a good job, but without any further information from the state, this is the most I've seen from the actual texts.

Oh my goodness! If that's an example of what all of the fuss is about DeSantis needs to be ashamed! There's nothing wrong with that!

 

[keith99]

Since Florida won't tell us what the objectionable material is, Popular Information looked at the textbooks in question and tried to determine the banned content. Maybe they did a bad job, maybe they did a good job, but without any further information from the state, this is the most I've seen from the actual texts.

Here is another source with a video giving pretty much the same information:

A look inside the math textbooks rejected by Florida | Watch (msn.com)

The link Essentialsaltes gave in the highlighted Popular Information is text and more detailed.

Speaking as a longtime math geek (Back when I was applying to college there were also subject tests associated with the SAT. Math has level 1 and level 2. I scored 800, the highest score possible on math level 2 without any prep) I see huge problems with what seems to be the Florida gross over reaction to social issues being included in math textbooks.

First they say with math there is one right answer. Anyone who made it to quadratic equations knows that is wrong. For a quadratic equation there are typically 2 right answers. At least for problems given. In some cases there is just 1 and for cases when one just picks the numbers at random there are often no solutions, at least if limited to real numbers.

I like there being one or more objective right answers. But I remember that the most common complaint by students is that math is not relevant, i.e. that it has no application to their part of the real world. What Florida seems to be doing is going down a road where textbook producers will shy away from anything that ties math to real issues. On a pure math level that will lead to all word problems being things like 'Johnny is twice as old as Jane, six years ago Johnny was 3 times as old as Jane. How old is Jane'. The huge problem is that when word problems are limited to this or any other set of a few forms students do NOT learn how to translate words into numbers. Instead they learn how to follow a pre defined path and turn the crank. And NOT just the students who are weak in math. Those with a gift and liking for math often find out that to do well in class they also have to depend on learning how to turn that crank, because it is faster and tests almost always involve time limits. (Note that I would have been an exception. I was fast, very fast, I typically finished math tests very early, so no bitter grapes issue. I just happen to occasionally care about others, something it seems is evil as far as Florida is concerned,).

Frankly what is being done will be a disaster for math education. It will turn math into something that even more students hate, even students who could have grown to like math. And it will leave those who still manage to like or love math less prepared for the higher level math that they will need if they want to proceed in any of the sciences.

It also seems that there is some degree of opposition to making students show their work. One get's the right answer of 2 times 2 equals 4 when they do not know the difference between times and plus. Often with easier problems a good math student can simply see the answer or do some simple calculations to zero in on it. That will not work for harder problems. Thus the easy problems which should have prepared the student for more difficult ones fail to do so. Sadly most teachers do a poor job of explaining this. In a the answer is all that counts environment that will only get worse.

Of course, this is good news for students from other states who will gain a significant advantage over students under-educated in Florida.

 

[Larniavc]

The FDOE’s announcement comes as Gov. Ron DeSantis has taken a lead role nationally in Republican efforts to aggressively push back against liberal cultural values and “woke indoctrination.”
Florida DOE rejects 54 math books due to critical race theory content

I wonder which maker of books benefits from this?

 

[ottawak]

Yes it important to perpetuate the victim mentality that keeps people from even trying to be successful.

Do you think that abandoning the victim mentality will make them less aware of being victimized?

 

[Ria23]

Since Florida won't tell us what the objectionable material is, Popular Information looked at the textbooks in question and tried to determine the banned content. Maybe they did a bad job, maybe they did a good job, but without any further information from the state, this is the most I've seen from the actual texts.

DeSantis did not claim that all of the textbooks had CRT. he cited various problems with them, including CRT.

that blog shows obvious bias, as shown by the headline alone. "Inside the 'dangerous' math textbooks DeSantis claims would 'indoctrinate students'". the sneer quotes in the headline alone indicate bias against DeSantis' claims. so we don't know what the article might have left out.

and, yes, even the quotes included do indicate bias. the passages on prejudice. which claims to speak out against stereotyping, ironically, includes stereotypes of the sort clearly labeled against Red state attitudes.

School has nothing to do with life.
Intellectuals are nerds.
People on welfare are lazy.

the textbook cites these as bad ideas that people can have. but it singles out bad
ideas that Red Staters stereotypically have. ironic, because the textbook speaks out about the danger of stereotyping. this gives the message that, "Red Staters believe wrong things".

the textbook could easily have illustrated the problem with stereotyping in a politically neutral way. but it did not.

 

[Ria23]

Oh my goodness! If that's an example of what all of the fuss is about DeSantis needs to be ashamed! There's nothing wrong with that!

the blog shows obvious bias. the textbooks might have had more egregious examples that the blog excluded. even at least one of the extracts from the textbook shows bias. while illustrating the proelm with stereotypes , it gives a list of beliefs more closely associated with conservatives, thus not-so-subtly hinting that conservatives hold onto stereotypes.

 

[Ponderous Curmudgeon]

the blog shows obvious bias. the textbooks might have had more egregious examples that the blog excluded. even at least one of the extracts from the textbook shows bias. while illustrating the proelm with stereotypes , it gives a list of beliefs more closely associated with conservatives, thus not-so-subtly hinting that conservatives hold onto stereotypes.

Well, we can't tell why they objected to various books because all Florida has released is a small selection of comments they received without and explanation of where they came from, what was wrong with them or even if they were relevant.

 

[keith99]

the blog shows obvious bias. the textbooks might have had more egregious examples that the blog excluded. even at least one of the extracts from the textbook shows bias. while illustrating the proelm with stereotypes , it gives a list of beliefs more closely associated with conservatives, thus not-so-subtly hinting that conservatives hold onto stereotypes.

Then Florida is free to cite those. Heck so far Florida has withheld even identifying most of the textbooks that they find objectionable.

 

[disciple Clint]

Do you think that abandoning the victim mentality will make them less aware of being victimized?

I think that it will allow them to reach their potential for success, why people want to kill the dreams and the ability to achieve them for other people is beyond me, and then those same people think they have helped people by planting and nourishing the idea that the world is set up against them and they will never be successful.

 

[Fantine]

What will Florida do when it learns that math has binary and non-binary operations? Oh, no!
Binary and Non-Binary Operations - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

 

[Goonie]

What will Florida do when it learns that math has binary and non-binary operations? Oh, no!
Binary and Non-Binary Operations - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

Obviously pass a law that such operations do no not happen!duh!!!

 

[Ana the Ist]

Here is another source with a video giving pretty much the same information:

A look inside the math textbooks rejected by Florida | Watch (msn.com)

The link Essentialsaltes gave in the highlighted Popular Information is text and more detailed.

Speaking as a longtime math geek (Back when I was applying to college there were also subject tests associated with the SAT. Math has level 1 and level 2. I scored 800, the highest score possible on math level 2 without any prep) I see huge problems with what seems to be the Florida gross over reaction to social issues being included in math textbooks.

First they say with math there is one right answer. Anyone who made it to quadratic equations knows that is wrong. For a quadratic equation there are typically 2 right answers. At least for problems given. In some cases there is just 1 and for cases when one just picks the numbers at random there are often no solutions, at least if limited to real numbers.

I like there being one or more objective right answers. But I remember that the most common complaint by students is that math is not relevant, i.e. that it has no application to their part of the real world. What Florida seems to be doing is going down a road where textbook producers will shy away from anything that ties math to real issues. On a pure math level that will lead to all word problems being things like 'Johnny is twice as old as Jane, six years ago Johnny was 3 times as old as Jane. How old is Jane'. The huge problem is that when word problems are limited to this or any other set of a few forms students do NOT learn how to translate words into numbers. Instead they learn how to follow a pre defined path and turn the crank. And NOT just the students who are weak in math. Those with a gift and liking for math often find out that to do well in class they also have to depend on learning how to turn that crank, because it is faster and tests almost always involve time limits. (Note that I would have been an exception. I was fast, very fast, I typically finished math tests very early, so no bitter grapes issue. I just happen to occasionally care about others, something it seems is evil as far as Florida is concerned,).

Frankly what is being done will be a disaster for math education. It will turn math into something that even more students hate, even students who could have grown to like math. And it will leave those who still manage to like or love math less prepared for the higher level math that they will need if they want to proceed in any of the sciences.

It also seems that there is some degree of opposition to making students show their work. One get's the right answer of 2 times 2 equals 4 when they do not know the difference between times and plus. Often with easier problems a good math student can simply see the answer or do some simple calculations to zero in on it. That will not work for harder problems. Thus the easy problems which should have prepared the student for more difficult ones fail to do so. Sadly most teachers do a poor job of explaining this. In a the answer is all that counts environment that will only get worse.

Of course, this is good news for students from other states who will gain a significant advantage over students under-educated in Florida.

I think Florida is pushing back against CRT creep into mathematics known as "ethnomathematics".

Seattle schools propose race-centric “ethnomathematics” curriculum

It's an attempt to bring math grades up....by shifting the focus away from math.

Of course, this doesn't actually make good math students. It just politicizes a subject to disregard real problems schools are having. The downstream effects are disastrous...as we will lose students who are capable of using math.

 

[Bradskii]

I think Florida is pushing back against CRT creep into mathematics known as "ethnomathematics".

Seattle schools propose race-centric “ethnomathematics” curriculum

It's an attempt to bring math grades up....by shifting the focus away from math.

Of course, this doesn't actually make good math students. It just politicizes a subject to disregard real problems schools are having. The downstream effects are disastrous...as we will lose students who are capable of using math.

If there was a course discussing ethnic diversity in some way then different mathematical systems would be a fascinating concept to include in it (Arabic and Roman numerals, where zero comes from etc). But...ethnic diversity should not form any part of a maths class. Horses for courses.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Living With a Victim Complex
What Is a Victim Mentality?

Um, you made a complex statement about black people and success and prison and victim mentality. Do you have any evidence for it?

 

[Ana the Ist]

If there was a course discussing ethnic diversity in some way then different mathematical systems would be a fascinating concept to include in it (Arabic and Roman numerals, where zero comes from etc). But...ethnic diversity should not form any part of a maths class. Horses for courses.

Well it's part of the underlying philosophy driving CRT.

The idea that everyone should develop a race consciousness and think of race first, always.

 

[Bradskii]

Well it's part of the underlying philosophy driving CRT.

The idea that everyone should develop a race consciousness and think of race first, always.

Including ethnic diversity in maths isn't part of crt. But including it is a valid problem to be addressed. But you need to be aware that trying to convince everyone that the sky is falling every time a matter concerning ethnicity arises and shouting 'CRT!' at every possible opportunity makes any genuine argument that you might have next to worthless. It's just lost in the flurry of claims you make.

 

[Ana the Ist]

Including ethnic diversity in maths isn't part of crt.

It isn't?

But including it is a valid problem to be addressed. But you need to be aware that trying to convince everyone that the sky is falling every time a matter concerning ethnicity arises and shouting 'CRT!' at every possible opportunity makes any genuine argument that you might have next to worthless. It's just lost in the flurry of claims you make.

Well I don't expect everyone to understand it.

Do you know what the concept of race consciousness is in CRT?

 

[Bradskii]

Do you know what the concept of race consciousness is in CRT?

Why not start a thread on it? I'm sure someone will explain it to you. Just don't expect to see many posts from me.

 

[Ana the Ist]

Why not start a thread on it? I'm sure someone will explain it to you. Just don't expect to see many posts from me.

....I'll take that as a no.

 

[Bradskii]

....I'll take that as a no.

You may take it as you like. I have no interest in helping you promote your views. Find someone else.