However, these same children, the majority of whom were 14 or 15 years old, had trouble solving much simpler school mathematics problems, such as the basic division. (After making the purchases, the infiltration buyers revealed their identity and asked the sellers to participate in the study and finish a set of abstract mathematics exercises.)
Market sellers had a formal education. Most of them have been part -time school or were previously at school for years.
Duflo does not know how young street sellers learned to calculate so quickly in their heads. It would take a longer anthropological study to observe them over time. But Duflo was able to glean some of their strategies, such as rounding. For example, instead of multiplying 490 by 20, street sellers can multiply 500 by 20, then remove 10 of the years 20, or 200. Schoolchildren, on the other hand, are subject to long calculations of pencils and paper to the help of an algorithm for multiplication. Often, they don’t see a more effective way to solve a problem.
The lessons of this research on the other side of the world could be relevant here in the United States. Some cognitive psychologists theorize that learning mathematics in a real context can help children absorb abstract mathematics and apply it in different situations. However, this Indian study shows that this type of knowledge transfer will probably not occur automatically or easily for most students. Educators must understand how to better take advantage of the skills in mathematics that students have already, said Duflo. Easier to say than to do, I suppose.
Duflo says that his study is not an argument for applied or abstract mathematics. “It would be a mistake to conclude that we must move on to concrete problems, because we also see that children who are extremely good in concrete problems are unable to solve an abstract problem,” she said. “And in life, at least in school life, you will need both.” Many children on the market ultimately completely abandon school.
Back at the farm in my neighborhood, I remember how I could magic and I rarely need pencil and paper after a few months. Unfortunately, the Ferme de la Salle is no longer there so that the children of the city practice mental mathematics. It has now been replaced by a subdivision of suburb of fancy houses.
This story on Applied mathematics was written by Jill Barshay and produced by The Hechinger reportAn independent non -profit press organization has focused on inequality and innovation in education. Register Evidence and others Newsletters Hechinger.
