Learning Math for Spiritual Development - Essay Example

Introduction. The manner in which the society view mathematics and what they tell their children about mathematics reflect a lot on how children will take mathematics. The new curriculum taught in schools requires mathematics teachers to instill in students certain values. Winter (2000) proposes that mathematics, as a subject should promote social, spiritual, and cultural development in learners. The question to be asked is that how do math’s teachers ensure that all these values are passed in their learners? The purpose of education that teachers should know is to help students have good economic life in future, that is, be employed and deal with life issues such as handling money, interacting with other people, and be well conversant with spiritual life (Peter, 2001). The other aspect of education is to produce a person who is physically, morally, and spiritually upright. All these should be instilled through teaching of mathematics. This paper therefore emphasizes on how mathematics leads to spiritual development. Spiritual Development Mathematics as a subject is normally used by people to give a better understanding of very great things including description of natural phenomena normally use mathematics as a subject, how they occur in the world. For instance, knowledge of probability may make a person tell whether it would rain the next day or not (winter, 2000). Even explanation on the depths of ocean waters, heights of mountains and calendar of the days. All these descriptions require the knowledge of mathematics. Mathematicians are philosophers on their own since they can sit and think how great things came into existence there giving an insight to occurrence of infinite things of the world (Downes, 1997). As a matter of understanding wonders and infinite things, mathematics teachers apply the methods of using surprises in order to make complicated things become real. For example, Movshovits Hadar (1988) argues that using the concept of Pythagoras theorem in bringing ideas of squaring sides of a right-angled triangle is a surprise to students. This is also made practical in order to make things become more real. Plato also uses math to explain hard things since through mathematics things become clearer. (Movshovits- Hadar, 1988) Mathematics has been used to promote spiritual development in learners. This can be clearly explained in terms of religion, philosophy and science that attempt to explain how Christians are linked with charity and social justice through mathematics. The origin of mathematics can be traced back from great philosophers such as Pythagoras and Plato who through rational thinking did a lot in the field of mathematics. According to Morshovits (1988) mathematics play a spiritual function by providing a highly subtle and concrete ideas for expressing the immediate contents that cannot be influenced by negative attitudes ,thoughts or feelings with minimal or no change in meaning. Mathematics as a subject also tends to promote spiritual development through the use of abstracts and universal symbols for generating insights through contemplation. http://www.integralscience.org/sacredscience/SS_spiritual.html This is achieved through the process of cross-translation where mathematics operations and symbols try to explain the existence truth. For instance in pure mathematics, logics are used to express truth where reasoning is purely deductive (rational thought). Abstract concepts also clearly come out through mathematic. The idea of irrational numbers through cross-translation for instance square root of two is an irrational number is difficult to understand. Getting the square root would mean writing all the digits in declined form that is infinite and the digits don’t recur. Therefore working it out manually would mean more time would be allocated for the exercise (Brown, 1993). The use of mathematics symbols has been captured in cross-translating ideas that are not influenced by negative thoughts or attitudes to approximate irrational numbers simply by using rational ones. Employing mathematics concepts and ideas can therefore bring out subtleness of transcendent state with accuracy as compared to the use of ordinary language. In simple terms mathematics has been used to explain abstract ideas. This implies that mathematics symbols and language may be used in areas where ordinary language has failed to explain difficult concepts. For instance the use of infinity, space, point and zero. http://www.integralscience.org/sacredscience/SS_spiritual.html Another function of mathematics towards spiritual development is its transformative powers in the form, logic and soul where it is linked closely with the heart. This implies making one become friendly and annoyed easily by things. Mathematics symbols at times can be used for spiritual transformation where the symbol used represents a meaning of something different. The person using the symbols has a feeling that is integrated with the thought so that as he thinks, he is committed to what is doing. By doing this he is ensuring that truth attained and confirmed thus reaching perfection. The truth is achieved through spiritual realization that mathematics helps in transformation of the heart thus making one become responsible as Christian. http://www.integralscience.org/sacredscience/SS_spiritual.html Another spiritual function of mathematics is provision of love and devotion. It brings mathematics plays the role of love through the cognitive role it plays. Pure mathematics presents love for truth in such a way that one has to be humble and accept the truth he must have proved it beyond doubt. Those seeking truth should be holy and humble and be ready to offer upon a sacrificial altar the pride of the knower. Offering a sacrifice implies that a person becomes friendly and enthusiastic.(. http://www.integralscience.org/sacredscience/SS_spiritual.html) Downes (1997) in his article on collective worship a frame work for dealing with a society- responsible mathematics also link mathematics with spiritually. In his article he points out that there are some aspects of mathematics that fill student with wonder and awe. For instance infinity that has been discovered above. There are some situations where teachers employ the use of surprises when teaching mathematics in a class-room for instance Morshovits- Hadar (1988) explains the use of Pythagoras theorem as a surprise in teaching on how to add squares on the sides of a right angled triangle. The step by step approach in solving a mathematical problem is also another spiritual explanation that mathematics dies. For instance in geometry, one has to start from one step going through a series of steps which are complex in order to come up with the whole figure to be constructed. Downes asserts that small steps are used in mathematics to provide opportunities for wonder and wondering but necessarily for learning. A good example is seen in construction where students become curious and exited on what is happening. For example Downes says that when students were asked to mark a point inside a circle of radius 8 cm and close the edge then fold and erase the circle so that the whole figure touches the point. They were then required to draw the erase in pencil. When the drawing and folding procedure was repeated several times an ellipse appears. What conclusion can we draw from this? There are some aspects of mathematics that can be used to guess and explain a sense of wonder. Construction where drawing is required is brought in the new curriculum to explore into such ideas. The wonder being depicted here act as a motivator for people to work in a sustained way on a particular situation, raise questions about it and explains their enthusiasm to others(Thomas Mc Farlane,1995). Not only in construction that wonders are expressed but also in a number of areas in mathematics. Topics like trigometric ratios, sum of arithmetic series, probabilities, symmetry and difference between two squares also explain the idea of infinity in real life situations. There are some units or topics in mathematics that open up a spiritual development in learners. The use and abuse of averages and the idea of infinity creates an atmosphere of spiritual growth in learners. Knowledge of probability may be used to predict life expectancy of a person thus providing spiritual expansion of existence (Brown, 1993). In order to ensure mathematics promote spirituality in students teachers are therefore charged with the responsibility of ensuring appropriate methodology is used. For instance using learning experiences should be given to the students that contribute to their spiritual development, teachers should involve students in solving mathematics problems. Learning should be made student-centered where the teacher is there to guide the students and show them the right direction to be followed. Mathematics is a subject that requires a lot of humility and devotion since it helps in transforming the mind and hearts of students (McFarlane, 1995). This implies that concepts have to be clearly outlined by the teacher to make students understand the role of mathematics. Students should be helped by their teachers to construct their own knowledge of teaching through experience which they relate to their current state of belief and knowledge. Therefore the teacher has to intervene to ensure that the external demands and wonders that mathematics tries to explain are clearly (OFSRED, 1994). Conclusion The function of mathematics towards spiritual development has been ignored by most people, however the role played in linking learners with Christianity is very significant as per the current curriculum. Mathematics provides The values that mathematics should pass such as moral, social, spiritual and cultural should be explained to both students and the society. Mathematics teachers can spiritualize the subject by linking it to the bible. For example students might be asked to solve problems which are on Christianity point of view. Learning materials that is used in teaching mathematics should be provided in order to expose a spiritual dimension of the subject to learners. Mathematics and Spirituality has to be integrated in the curriculum to focus on holistic development. References Brown, A. (1993).Spiritual and Moral Education: Where Does Responsibility Lie? Westminster Studies in Education, 16:22-28, p25. Downes, S. (1997).Mathematics in a collective Worship, Mathematics Teaching, 189. Movshovits- Hadar, N. (1988). School Mathematics Theorem- an endless sources of Surprise, for the learning of mathematics, 8 (3): 34:40. OFSTED (Office for Standard in Education), Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development, Cultural Development, February1994,pp1-9. Winter, J. (2000). Personal, spiritual, social and cultural issues in teaching mathematics New York: Routledge. Thomas, J .Mc Farlane. (1995).The Spiritual Function of Mathematics and The Philosophy of Franklin Merrel-Wolff retrieved on 28th May 2008 from http://www.integralscience.org/sacredscience/SS_spiritual.html Read More