Journal of Educational Practice for Social Change 2012 | Page 12

especially clear to me one evening a few years ago when my husband and I were out to dinner. He
asked me what topic we covered that day in PreCalculus and I told him we worked on graphing and
solving secant and cosecant functions. He then asked me why mathematicians use the word “secant”
when discussing graphing in PreCal when the word also represents a line intersecting a curve at two
points in Geometry—and “Hey, tangent is used in both classes, too! What’s that all about?”
A few graphs, equations, and the ever-helpful unit circle provided him with a deeper
understanding of HOW the material is connected and helped him see WHY the word is the same (its
meaning is the same!) but the exchange left me a bit surprised—primarily because my husband was a
nuclear engineer (a Nuke in their shorthand), trained by the Navy. And not only did he graduate at
the top of his class, but he used his nuclear engineering training on a daily basis for his 6 years of
service.
There’s no question my husband had a firm grasp on the complex, and essential, calculations
necessary to ensure his submarine and the submariners within it were safe and prepared for their
mission. But the mathematician in me wondered how it was possible to be so skilled while missing a
fundamental component of understanding. The answer, in his case, is the training was intense, a
highly concentrated fire hose of information demanding memorization, regurgitation, and immediate
response on command—but none of it was designed for long-term retention or deep understanding.
The instruction was mission driven, was designed with that goal in mind, and the expected result was
achieved.
No one can deny the Navy’s Nukes are anything but phenomenal at what they do—but each
graduate of the program also represents the best of the best regarding aptitude and skill. Only the top
3% percent of recruits are selected for the school and fewer than 50% actually graduate
(http://www.usmilitary.com/4135/nuclear-power-navy-education-program/).
What, then, to do for a population far more diverse in abil