Absolutism and Eurocentrism in Mathematics and the Access alternative

Abstract

Eleven years of schooling has seemingly failed to provide many students with even basic mathematical skills and has imbibed within many of them a maths phobia which acts as a further barrier to their hopes and aspirations of entering higher education. The problem for Access mathematics tutors is how to break down the very real fear of maths and how to build upon the motivations and commitment these students bring to their pursuit of higher education. This paper is concerned with the philosophy of mathematics and the absolutist approach still being used in schools and colleges in Great Britain. It raises issues of Eurocentricity and explains how Access tutors and other mathematics practitioners have designed courses which dispel maths phobia and make maths an interesting, enjoyable and relevant subject. It will explain how practitioners in the field, who are teaching these often disadvantaged groups, have developed alternative approaches. They set mathematics in a historical, cultural and socio-political environment and they ensure a more relevant syllabus set in the context of every-day life. They ensure mathematics is seen like other disciplines as a negotiated journey, a quest and a voyage of discovery. The main result is an increase in student motivation with subsequent increases in success. This practice, although perhaps pragmatic rather than theoretical in origin, reflects the view of philosophers such as Wittgenstein that mathematics far from being a body of truth is in fact a collection of norms. And, most interestingly, this practice appears to work.