Should Students Have a Role in the Creation or Revision of Official Math Curriculum?

[Boojatta]

Introduction:

Specifically, I'm thinking about statements that are officially classified as "self-evident", and used as a basis for deductions. Students are likely to make some false positive errors. In other words, they are likely to classify as "self-evident" some statements that aren't self-evident, and that aren't even true. After some study, students are likely to be persuaded that some statements that initially seemed "self-evident" aren't true.

However, even if all people who express agreement with a statement later adamantly deny it, we cannot necessarily conclude that the statement is false. People can be indoctrinated. They may simply recognize a conflict between official doctrine and a particular statement. If they accept official doctrine, then on that basis they may reject a particular statement.

The main point of this thread:

Suppose that many students, when consulted, express sincere doubt that a particular statement is self-evident, even though it has been officially classified as "self-evident." In this situation, it might be possible to find alternative statements that all or almost all students accept as self-evident, and to show students how the alternative statements can be used to prove that the officially "self-evident" statements are at least true.

What is the nature of the learning process or screening process to become a math professor that ensures that, when people who work as professors of mathematics assert that some particular statement is "self-evident", it actually is a self-evident statement?

[Taverner]

1. Yes - but 25%

[damntexdem]

2. Your point has nothing to do with your question.

You ask about what is self-evident in math, which is the province of mathematicians. Students should have no say in that. Math is abstract, logical, works by deductive processes -- in shot, is not messy like the world.

You then ask about "self-evident" statements by professors of education, which would presumably be statements about what education as a field accepts as self-evident -- which I hope is very little.
Education is just not the same as math, instead being about learning in a messy world. There, students can have a voice about what they think works with them; but after hearing that voice, the curriculum decisions in education still need to be made by experts.

[Boojatta]

3. "statements by professors of education"

I think you're right. If they have any responsibility in this matter, then they probably abdicate it and simply accept the status quo created by mathematics professors. I have revised my Original Post to replace the reference to professors of education with a reference to math professors.

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. No

[Boojatta]

5. Can you say anything about what you were thinking before you arrived at that conclusion? e.o.m.