The document discusses a feminist approach to teaching linear programming that focuses on intuition, experience, conjecture, creativity and context rather than separate knowing and absolute truths. It proposes having students work in groups to identify constraints and best case scenarios for a given situation using common sense language rather than mathematical terms. The goal is to create a classroom that empowers students and helps them learn according to their own objectives.

1. A Feminist approach to teaching linear programming

2. What not to do . . .

4. What’s wrong with this picture?

5. Why is this a gender issue? “ . . . Women [are] predisposed to be connected knowers . . . separate knowing [is] more prevalent in male populations. Mathematics has traditionally been taught in a manner more consistent with separate knowing: stressing deductive proof, absolute truth, and certainty; using algorithms; and emphasizing abstraction, logic, and rigor . . . our teaching needs to include more intuition and experience; conjecture, generalization, and induction; creativity; and context.” (Jacobs, Becker, 1997)

7. Try This . . . Distribute one piece of paper to each member of your group. Slips may only be read aloud, you may not show your slip to anyone. As a group identify what the constraints are for your context Identify what the “best case scenario” would be for this context. Don’t worry about using mathematical jargon, just try to use “common sense.”

10. What did you deduce?

12. What kinds of questions may arise from these situations? (What do you wonder?)

13. What to do

14. Why is this better? “ . . . The professor creates a climate of confidence in which learning is meaningful for the students . . . Favours active participation . . . Empowers students . . . Is a guide and helps students to learn according to the objectives they have defined themselves.” (Solar, 1995)

15. Conclusion “ At the core of feminist pedagogy is a re-imaging of the classroom as a community of learners where there is both autonomy of self and mutuality with others that is congruent with the developmental needs of both women and men” (Shrewsbury, 1993, p. 12).