Session Title: Making Sense: The Algebra Project as Philosophy
Speakers: Madeline Muntersbjorn
Description: The Algebra Project inspires us to think about mathematical practices as real-world experiences, reflecting the intellectual heritage of Robert P. Moses while challenging commonly held assumptions about mathematics as a dry discipline about a distant realm. Moses saw the philosophy, pedagogy, and sociology of mathematics as interrelated in important ways that need to be more widely understood. Productive disputes around what mathematics is, really, contrast sharply with the urgent need for consensus around why universal mathematics literacy matters. We can be open-minded and inclusive about our insights into the nature of mathematics even as we are single-minded in our support of quality mathematics education as a civil right, not just for some kids, but for all kids.