Carly Allen

ED398 Critical Literacy Invitiation

Fall 2014
Butler University
Student Version: Math on Trial

GUILTY:
ABUSE OF
MATHEMATICS
MATH ON TRIAL

How often do you think in math class, When am I

ever going to use this? Have you ever had a teacher
who told you that there is always a right answer in
math?
Together, we will explore these questions and perhaps learn that math
isnt always as black and white as we think. In this invitation, you will
begin to grasp the following standards
1. Understanding statistics when it comes to sampling and
inferences about a population.
2. Interpret data to estimate means or proportions.
3. Understand the role of error in probability.
4. Invesitgste how certain studies are valid, while others are not.
5. Analyze strategies that use statisitcs (look at their ethical
implications!).
6. Apply the product rule.
You will
Disrupt the commonplace by not simply accepting things as
fact, but investigating the validity of mathematical statements.
Youll explore what most math classes hide from.
Consider multiple perspectives by consistently looking at
differing opinions on the same issues. Youll be asked to explore
all perspectives before sometimes developing your own.
Focus on sociopolitical issues by investigating the
connections between mathematical inqiruy and the world around
you. Math is everywhere!
Take action by deciding how this might affect you and what you
will do with this new knowledge.

Validity of Mathematical Study (Gateway

Engagement)
In the U.S., it is practically a requirement to take four years of math to
get into college; our education system places great value on math.
BUT if math is different in real-life than it is in theory, why do we focus

SO MUCH on it? Follow the instructions below to begin exploring the

topic of the validity of math study.
In groups of 4, read the following article aloud and pick out the most
striking phrase, sentence, or passage of the text. Consider the
following questions:
1. Why do high schools have a minimum math requirement?
2. Why do colleges have required math prerequisites? Do you
believe they should?
3. Why have the math requirements changed since the Cold War?
Why might we be competing with other countries in terms of
math ability?
4. Cornell University mathematician Steven Strogatz told Baker it
alarmed him to see a large portion of students not just not
learning in math classes, but actively suffering1. Has this ever
been your experience? How has your experience in math
changed your feelings towards the study of math?
Following your discussion, watch the following video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpvE0Co66nU
Questions to consider:
1. What is the difference between theoretical results and empirical
results? Why do these results differ so greatly in some instances?
2. If the study of theoretical math can differ so largely from what
happens in real-life, why do we study it so much?
3. Can we count on math in real-life if it doesnt play out like it does
on paper?
4. Is the study of math in high school relevant or necessary? Can
we justify it?
In your groups, create a position statement based on your engagement
with the article and video. In this statement, choose whether or not
you believe math is an essential part of secondary education and why.
When finished, share with another group.

1 http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-08/argument-againstalgebra

How to Get Away with Murder (Engagement #1)

Statisticians and mathematicians are often used as experts in highprofile court cases. Their expertise is often used to determine the
likelihood that a person is guilty/innocent. Sometimes, though, the
math lies. Explore the following resources to see just how the math can
be used to convince juries (sometimes, wrongfully!).
Refer to the photograph provided. What kind of crime would you
suspect the woman of? Would you believe me if I told you the chances
of her being guilty are was 99.9999999%? Watch the following Ted Talk,
titled, How Juries are Fooled by Statistics (only watch from 13:35
through the end):
http://www.ted.com/talks/peter_donnelly_shows_how_stats_fool_juries?
language=en
Read the journal article titled, One in Millions, Billions, and Trillions:
Lessons from People v. Collins (1968) for People v. Simpson (1995) by
Jonathon J. Koehler. Additionally, read one of the two additional articles
about the prosecutors fallacy.
1. What is the prosecutors fallacy and how is it used in court?
2. Think about the Prosecutors Fallacy. Think: what might be the
defendants fallacy?
3. How is the product rule used in the courtroom? If a juror were to
be unaware of the product rule, how might they be convinced by
a prosecutors use of this rule?
4. Should statistics be able to be used in the courtroom? Why or
why not?
5. Should a person be able to be convicted for a crime based on the
probability that they are guilty?
6. How might the educational background of a juror affect their
ability to understand a statisticians testimony?
Create a grand jury of 12 jurors. For each juror, decide things like: how
old are they? Are they male or female? What is their ethnicity? What
socioeconomic status do they have? What is their occupation? What is
their educational level? Consider the following questions:
1. How might the socioeconomic status of a defendant affect
his/her trial?
2. How might the education status of a defendant effect his/her
trial?
3. How might the socioeconomic and educational status of the
jury affect their ability to fairly assess a crime/trial?
4. How might the prosecution use racial/ethnic differences in
their choice of witnesses? What kind of person do you think
would have the most validity as a witness?

Determine how each juror might respond to the Sally Clark

case. Develop a way to present this information (act out a
court case, create a poster, record a speech, or any other way
you would like to present the jury).

How Many Dead Americans? (Engagement #2)

To dramatize a certain point of view, journalists often use statistics to
persuade the audience to believe one side of a story. Depending on
how the information is presented, the statistics (which are never
wrong, per say) are used to sensationalize an event. Investigate the
validity of this approach, how it is used, and how it is abused in order
to persuade.
Read the excerpt from Jordan Ellenbergs book, titled, How Not to Be
Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking. Consider the following
questions:
1. What is the point in titling this engagement and the book
chapter, Dead Americans?
2. Why might journalists/statisticians compare deaths of a
conflict to American deaths?
3. After hearing of this, how might a politician use this strategy
in a political campaign? How does that make you feel as a
voter?
4. How does math determine who has power and who maintains
it?
5. How could YOU educate yourself and others in a political
campaign when such strategies are employed?
Investigate a global issue that you are interested in. Some examples
include the Ebola outbreak, the Iraq War, and the current IsraeliPalestinian conflict, but feel free to research any other conflict/crises
that interest you. Consider medical crises, wars, or major genocides.
Please provide me with the source you find.
1. Determine the population that was affected (deaths, illness,
etc.).
2. Determine 2 or 3 sample sizes you would like to compare to
(total village population, city population, country population).
a. Find the percentage of people affected in comparison to
your 2 or 3 sample sizes (for example, 50% of a village was
affected, but only 3% of the country was).
3. With these percentages in mind, calculate how many Americans
would have been affected in light of these percentages.
Consider, again, several sample sizes here (state of New York,
NYC, entire US).
Create: How might you use these statistics to persuade politically?
Take, for example, the Iraq War. If you were a politician hoping to
minimize the amount of deaths the US is responsible for in Iraq,
which statistic might you use? What about if you were trying to
convince that the Iraqi War in unnecessary?
Use the statistics you just found to create two sides of an argument
this could include support/resistance of a war, US action in the fight

against Ebola or not, or any similar argument. This could be in the form
of an address to congress (speeches), PowerPoint presentations,
billboards, advertisements, political propaganda, or whatever you
would like. Be sure to include both sides of the debate.

Are the Tests Testing? (Engagement #3)

Standardized testing has been at the center of a lot of controversy in
education recently. Teachers are being paid based on their students
performance on these tests, college admissions decisions are being
based on the scores, and students and teachers alike are outraged
over the possibility that the tests dont actually analyze knowledge.
According to statistics, how else are standardized tests failing to
provide us with accurate results?
Initial Activity: To understand the probability behind this, start by
investigating with pennies. To start, flip the penny 2 times and record
the number of heads in the chart provided. Do this ten times.
Go to http://www.btwaters.com/probab/flip/coinmainD.html and flip the
coin 5000 times. Record these results as well.
1. Compare the empirical results to the theoretical probability of
getting heads in each of these caseswhich case is closer to the
theoretical probability? Why?
Read the excerpt from How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of
Mathematical Thinking by Jordan Ellenberg. Additionally, watch the
following video: http://video.takepart.com/previews/GhqjrZCn-iXHtafAV
1. Why do smaller schools appear as the most and least successful
schools when it comes to standardized testing?
2. Why do larger schools tend to stay in the middle quadrant?
3. How might the statistics surrounding these tests affect the way
schools are funded? Is this fair? Why or why not?
4. Consider how you personally feel about standardized testing.
What is your experience with them? Do you think that they
accurately depict your knowledge of the subject?
Skim the pro and con article about standardized testing. In any way
you would like, create an advertisement/advertising campaign for or
against standardized testing. Include a piece of art that expresses your
personal experience with standardized testing (poem, painting, song,
rap).
For a read about coin tosses not being as random as we think they are:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1697475

Resource Guide:
Coin flip. (n.d.). Retrieved
December 9, 2014, from Between Waters website:
http://www.btwaters.com/probab/flip/coinmainD.html
Connelly, P. (Presenter). (2005, July). How juries are fooled by statistics.
Lecture
presented at TedGlobal 2005, Oxford, UK.
Ellenberg, J. (2014). How not to be wrong: The power of mathematical
thinking.
New York City, NY: Penguin Group.
Ferro, S. (2013, August 19). Should math really be a required subject?
Retrieved
December 9, 2014, from Popular Science website:
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-08/argument-against-algebra
Green, H. (2010, November 8). Probability 101 [Blog post]. Retrieved from
Vlogbrothers website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpvE0Co66nU
I am education: Kids tell all [Video file]. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://video.takepart.com/previews/GhqjrZCn-iXHtafAV
Kestenbaum, D. (2004, February 24). The not so random coin toss: NPR.
Retrieved
December 9, 2014, from National Public Radio website:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1697475
Koehler, J. J. (1997). One in millions, billions, and trillions: Lessons from
"People v.
Collins" (1968) for "People v. Simpson" (1995) [PDF]. Journal of Legal
Education,
(223), 214-223.

[Sally Clark leaves court]. (2010, August). Retrieved from

http://werewolf.co.nz/2010/08/when-justice-fails/
Standardized tests: Pros and cons. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2014, from
ProCon.org website: http://standardizedtests.procon.org
The prosecutor's fallacy. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2014, from Statistics
for the
Terrified website:
http://www.conceptstew.co.uk/PAGES/prosecutors_fallacy.html