[dr_dshiv]

I find this axiomatic approach shallow and unworkable. You will only reach kids that already don’t need anything. Ie, those who are already self motivated. Those kids aren’t the issue.

I think math instruction should take a cue from Pythagoras who, according to Iamblichus, taught by first paying his students a small amount for each successful learning accomplishment — until the students were older and wanted to pay him to learn more. It’s legendary, but the truth is that we shouldn’t expect kids to want to learn math.

Learning core skills should not rely on intrinsic motivation. It is so much easier to be intrinsically motivated once you have a base. Otherwise everything is just difficult and frustrating.

[titaniczero]

Yeah I can’t fully agree with axioma #2. While people learn when you challenge them, every person reacts differently when they struggle. And there is this thing, anxiety, that makes people insecure. Mathematics anxiety is even a thing [1].

So I think this axioma is based on a previous one: everyone wants to be challenged, which I believe is not true. You have to give people a reason for that motivation first, to be able to challenge them. Otherwise you will make people feel insecure, because they will think that they’re not smart enough, and we are taught that maths = smart. (Maybe we have to tackle this social construct first.)

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[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematical_anxiety