What Counts as Mathematics When “We All Use Math Every Day”? A Look at NUMB3RS

Abstract

When students learn mathematics in school, they learn more than just the procedures, algorithms, and concepts. They also learn about what counts as mathematics, who practices mathematics, how they do so, and for what ends. But school is not the only source for students’ developing notions of what mathematics is and what it is for. Students also learn about mathematics from the societal curriculum: “that mas- sive, ongoing, informal curriculum of families, peer groups, neighborhoods, churches, organizations, institutions, mass media, and other socializing forces” (Cortés, 2004 , p. 211). One pervasive source of education about mathematics is the media, includ ing movies, television, newspaper and magazine articles, and YouTube. While popular media are often considered to re fl ect typical views of what mathe- matics is, they also in fl uence popular opinion and convey information about what counts as mathemat ics, and what kinds of people engage in mathematics. The question of “what counts as mathematics” in the media is important pre cisely because of the complex relationship of the media to popular opinion. Representations of mathematics in the media both inform and are informed by social views of math- ematics, and can, therefore, in fl uence students, parents, educators, and policy-makers as they consider the goals and the principles of mathematics education. In this chapter, I consider how mathematics, and people who use mathematics, are represented in popular television and fi lm