Connecting Mathematics Education to my Relationship with the Cosmos

I believe that human beings are closely interconnected to the cosmos in which we exist. Today, we hear a lot about caring for the Mother Earth. More and more humans are coming to realize the need to protect our environment and to stop the uncontrolled exploitation of the nature. With the exploration of the space, we have also come to understand that we are only a tiny particle in this vast cosmos. As a result, we are responsible towards the cosmos that surrounds us and in which we are part of. Often mathematics teaching-learning has been limited to the cognitive level and very seldom concerns of the ecology and issues related to the cosmos are brought up in mathematics classrooms. My mathematics teaching-learning life was no exception as there was hardly any connection to my relationship with the cosmos. Through this autoethnographic study, I show how mathematics teaching-learning needs to and can take into consideration the important relationship and responsibility we have towards the environment, universe and the cosmos and how we can teach pro-cosmological behaviours to our students through topics in mathematics they are learning. This will be done by narrating my lived experiences of missing the link with the cosmos in my mathematics classrooms both as a student and a teacher and by presenting a few examples of making mathematics teaching-learning cosmologically responsible in classrooms.

A Ouvir é que a Gente se Entende

RESUMO“A ouvir é que a gente se entende” é um ensaio que escrevi no início da minha pesquisa de doutoramento em 2012, estimulada pelo VIII encontro do Fórum Internacional Paulo Freire. Tudo começou em 2003 numa viagem que aproximou o Porto, Portugal e Salgueiro (Pernambuco), Brasil. Hoje, olhando para trás, percebo de que foi um momento de viragem, uma tomada de consciência sobre o que havíamos partilhado até então e sobre todas as oferendas que recebi da comunidade quilombola de Conceição das Crioulas durante a viagem a Salgueiro. Na bagagem transportava comigo não só os ensinamentos de Paulo Freire e a pedagogia crioula, que conheci na comunidade; mas também, um medo miudinho da responsabilidade que procurava assumir: queria ir viver na comunidade para estar lá, sentir o ritmo do dia a dia, ser pessoa capaz de assimilar o mundo que me rodeia procurando reinventar-me todos os dias nesta partícula que é global. Paulo Freire. Pedagogia crioula. Ouvir. Listening is how we understand each other ABSTRACT “By listening we understand” is an essay that I wrote at the beginning of my PhD research in 2012, catalysed by the VIII meeting of the Paulo Freire International Forum. It all started in 2003 on a trip that connected Porto in Portugal to Salgueiro in (Pernambuco), Brazil. Looking back today, I realize that this essay was a turning point, an awareness of what we had shared so far and all the offerings I received from the quilombola community of Conceição das Crioulas during the trip to Salgueiro. In my luggage I carried with me, not only Paulo Freire's teachings and creole pedagogy, which I learnt within the community but also a fear of the responsibility I sought to assume. I wanted to live in the community of Salgueiro to be there present, to feel the rhythm of its everyday life, and to be able to assimilate the world around me by attempting to reinvent myself daily in this tiny particle that is global.Paulo Freire. Crioula Pedagogy. Listening. Ad’ascoltare le persone si capiscono RIASSUNTO "Ad’ascoltare le persone si capiscono" é stato un picolo articolo che ho scrito mentre facevo le indagini l doutoramento nel 2012, dopo che o conosciutto , Paulo Freire in un evento scientífico. Nel 2003 fece un commento che avvicinava a Porto, Portogallo e Salgueiro (cittá di Pernambuco), Brasile. Hoje, guardando indietro, baluardo di quello che fu un momento di coscienza che avevamo collaborato a tutte le regali ricevuti dalla comunità Quilombola di Conceição de le Crioulas in un viaggio a Salgueiro. Nel bagaglio portava con mé gli ensegnamenti de Paulo Freire e la pedagogia crioula, che conubi ne la comunità. O sentito la responsabilità da assumere: volevo vivere, sentire i ritmo de le giornate, volevo esse una persona capace di sentire il mondo in torno a me, cercando de reinventarmi tutti i giorni. Paolo Freire. Pedagogia Crioula. Il Ascoltare. Escuchar: es como nos entendemos RESUMEN"Al escuchar entendemos" es un ensayo que escribí al comienzo de mi investigación de doctorado en 2012, catalizado por la VIII reunión del Foro Internacional Paulo Freire. Todo comenzó en 2003 en un viaje que conectaba Oporto en Portugal con Salgueiro en (Pernambuco), Brasil. Mirando hacia atrás hoy, me doy cuenta de que este ensayo fue un punto de inflexión, una conciencia de lo que habíamos compartido hasta ahora y todas las ofertas que recibí de la comunidad quilombola de Conceição das Crioulas durante el viaje a Salgueiro. En mi equipaje llevé conmigo, no solo las enseñanzas y la pedagogía criolla de Paulo Freire, que aprendí dentro de la comunidad, sino también el temor a la responsabilidad que quería asumir. Quería vivir en la comunidad de Salgueiro para estar presente, sentir el ritmo de su vida cotidiana y asimilar el mundo que me rodea intentando reinventarme diariamente en esta pequeña partícula que es global. Paulo Freire. Pedagogía Crioula. Escuchando.

Exploration on the Orignal Meaning of “Temperament” by the Theory of Words’ Value (以詞的價值理論探求“脾氣”之本義)

The original meaning of “temperament” 脾氣 was explained with “the function of spleen” or “the disease of spleen” by the previous scholars is wrong and the explanation of “the Qi 氣 of spleen” is ambiguous. The earliest record about the word of “temperament” 脾氣 comes from the Historical Records 史記, and this book belongs to the language system of the Yellow Emperor’s Canon of Medicine 黃帝內經. By the Theory of Words’ Value, after analyzing the 593 words or phrases of including “Qi” 氣 in the Yellow Emperor’s Canon of Medicine 黃帝內經, the orignal meaning of “Qi” 氣 and “temperament” 脾氣 is inferred. Finally, this paper concludes that the orignal meaning of “temperament” is an essence and a tiny particle which produced by the water and food in the spleen and stomach, and has the functions of maintaining the physiological activities of the spleen, nourishing the body and resisting diseases. 前人辭書將“脾氣”本義釋爲“脾的功能”“脾臟之病”有誤，而釋爲“脾的精氣”則表述模糊。“脾氣”最早見於《史記》，其文與《黃帝內經》屬同一系統。根據詞的價值理論分析《黃帝內經》593條含“氣”詞目，據以推測其“氣”“脾氣”的本義。結果表明：“脾氣”本義爲由脾胃中的水穀產生的，具有維持脾臟生理活動、滋養人體、抵禦病邪等功能的精微物質。

Investigations on Ni-Mo Alloy Microstructure with Mo Atom Content

Using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) to describe the relationship between Mo content and the amorphous content in deposites from the effects of the molybdate concentration on microstructure, phase content and morphology of the deposits. It is found when the Mo content is low to 18at.%, the deposits are composed of nanocrystalline main phases and the grain size is below 10nm with tiny particle at the basement surface. When Mo in 18~33at.%, the deposits are composed of amorphous phase up to more than 60wt.% proportion, and the grain size of the nanocrystalline existing in the deposits is stability of 3~10nm with tiny particle and well-distribution of the basement surface. When Mo content is exceeding 33at.%, the deposits performance is of the crystalline properties with more crystal defects in the coating.