Math as a Foreign Language
The place of disruptive technological change continues to accelerate as new science is quickly transformed into new products and services affecting every aspect of life. In order to fulfill the promise that tech has to offer while mitigating its misuse, society clearly needs a higher level of STEM literacy. Not only are the jobs of the future going to increasingly rely on technology – especially computing driven use of artificial intelligence, robotics and data analytics – but informed judgement about its use demands a technology literate populace. Mathematics is the language of science and the steady decline in math proficiency among US students should be a concern to all. There are many contributing factors and much can be shown to arise from inadequacies in elementary school instruction and instructors. Decades of experimentation have failed to move the needle. This talk will focus on a novel approach that blends learning style and individual interest profiles to support an AI-based tutor or teaching support system that is perfectly suited to support math instruction at all grade levels as well as support remote learning in the COVID-19 era and beyond.