A response to “Monya and Kishi” (http://fawnnguyen.com/2013/05/02/20130502.aspx)
Moein Ferdosian This blog post is interesting to me because, being from a foreign county I can connect with the cultural controversy that is being presented. It is obvious that the letter that this student has written mostly reflects the attitude of the teacher towards the names in the textbook. Several times the student mentions how “this is what Mrs.Win thinks.” If the teacher was one that appreciated and celebrated all the different names, then the attitude of the students would also reflect that. What is a “regular” name? Why does it matter what name is used in a math problem? I understand that sometimes students can lose focus due to the wording of math problems, however, after all, math students should be able to zero-in on the math aspect and not be confused by the names being used. I think using a diversity of names promotes multiculturalism even if the students don’t live in a multicultural environment. If they embrace it, they will get used to the names and perhaps use multicultural names for their kids once they have families. I think people who change their names to culturally common names are taking away from the diversity of society. I think, however, that more relevant examples can be used to help students connect with the content. I think examples that involve ethics are much more interesting to solve. That is, examples that engage students’ opinions. For example, a question involving the profit of a company when it is kept local and when it is outsourced.
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