Philosophy of Teaching Mathematics

Mathematics, as taught in a Christian school, should be as distinctively Christian as any other discipline, “...what so ye do, do all to the glory of God.”  (I Cor. 10:31)  This includes the teaching of mathematics.

Mathematics would appear to be the least theological of all the disciplines.  There is not the controversy of creation v. evolution that exists in the sciences.  Nor is there a choice of literature with a Christian message v. literature with an atheistic or profane bias that one might confront in English.  Nor is there a dichotomy between atheistic determinism v. a God that moves in the affairs of men in social studies.  There would seem to be no controversy regarding arithmetic that has theological implications.

Mathematics has been developed over the centuries by men in an attempt to describe the amazing orderliness that God has built into his marvelous creation.  This extends from the earliest arithmetic of counting to the highest order of mathematics on the cutting edge of scientific discovery.  New departures in mathematics spring for the most part from a need to study the physical universe.  Calculus, for example, was devised by Newton and Leibniz to make new discoveries of the universe describable.  Only a century or so later was calculus placed on a sound deductive basis.  One might argue that the mathematical principles found in creation preceded creation itself in the mind of God.  The laws of mathematics, such as the addition facts or the law of cosines, are as much of God’s creation as are the law of universal gravitation or the law of sowing and reaping (Gal. 6:7) or in the requirements for honest measure (Prov. 20:10) found in Scripture.

Mathematical study points to the underlying structure of the universe and by implication to its intelligent design.  It is proper to tie mathematics, though an expression of the human mind, with the physical universe; for both the human mind and the physical universe are the works of the same Creator.  The Psalmist exclaims, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork.” (Ps. 19:1)  The Christian should find himself making a similar declaration as he uses mathematics to study creation and to use it in his day-to-day world.  The reflections of God in mathematical studies, when recognized by the student, should encourage his growth in Christ-likeness.  Teaching mathematics in a Christian school demands the teacher to be competent in his faith as well as in the discipline of mathematics.

There has been in recent decades a great debate between the rote memorization (skill-and-drill) of the traditionalists and those whose overall focus is on understanding the conceptual basis for mathematics while deemphasizing computational skills.  Both are distortions of proper educational technique.  The principled concepts of mathematics are essential for a thorough understanding of mathematics in general, particularly for those students who will continue into higher levels of mathematical and scientific study.  Today, all high school students are required to master four years of mathematics. However, the student also needs to learn and master computational skills so that he can apply the principles of mathematics.  Proper instruction in mathematics should include learning concepts, mastering computational skills, and real world applications of mathematics.

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