Abstract:

If only mathematics was the cool subject, the first topic of conversation, the one where you could relax and have fun! The television series, C.S.I., raised the profile and educated people about forensic science. Can mathematics educators recreate that effect with a television game show? Phrases such as “boring and who would want to watch”, “would not understand any of it, so why watch?” and “cannot do mathematics, so no interest in it” are uttered by students, friends, and family alike. All dismiss the idea of the show with equal enthusiasm. So the challenge is twofold: to show mathematics in a different understandable light and to capture an audience. Many reality/game shows have become popular with a simple concept where the audience feels a sense of participation. We watch contestants cook dishes which are judged on quality; race around the world solving clues to not arrive last at the destination; sing or dance in different genres and be marked for performance and lastly, drop people on an island or in a house and observe how the inhabitants react and vote to eject each other. These shows have renewed interest in topics that would barely have had a mention in conversations previously though now is the talk at school, at work, at home, on internet pages, blogs and most social networks. With the dwindling enrolments of students in mathematics courses at schools and university, can these pathways be utilised to raise the profile of mathematics? This paper will discuss how aspects of Multiple Intelligences, Bloom’s Taxonomy and Piaget create a television show for participation and learning for all in mathematics.
Be prepared for an abstract encounter of a real variable with irrational behaviour having no known limits that will integrate impropriety with exponential fun and primed frivolity.

Keywords:

Mathematics for all, creativity, popularisation of mathematics.