In the face of poor test scores and a lack of basic math skills among secondary-school students, educators around the country are rethinking math curricula, the New York Times reports. Math reforms a decade ago that emphasized letting students solve problems their own way, without necessarily teaching basics like long division, have not had their intended effect. American students lag those of many other countries in math. Even just within the U. S., there are disturbing signs, like only 51 percent of 10th graders passing the math part of Washington State assessment tests.
I think that math pedegogy, as with so many things, is a matter of balance. Students need some basic skills, but they also need the freedom to use them in flexible ways that match their own ways of thinking. It’s like learning a musical instrument: a student needs to know the notes, scales, and chords, but then needs to bring their own personality and approach to make a piece come to life. According to the Times, however, the New York City Department of Education has been using a curriculum that combines reform and traditional methods, but some parents are unhappy with that as well. They have even formed a group, NYC HOLD (Honest Open Logical Decisions on Mathematics Education Reform), to advocate for quality math education in U. S. schools.
This leads me to believe there are more factors to consider than just the curriculum. What are the teachers’ own skills in math? Have they bought in to the methods espoused in the curriculum? Did they have input into it in the first place? What kind of training do they receive on any new methods? Do they get the support they need from their administration, both emotionally and in terms of facilities, supplies, and textbooks? Is there effective communication between teachers and parents?
Sometimes it seems that LGBT issues have taken over my political psyche to the detriment of other matters, such as education and healthcare reform. All these issues are intertwined, however, as we strive for the ultimate goal of better lives for ourselves and, more importantly, our children. As parents, we cannot afford to lose sight of any of them.
An ill-prepared math teacher, especially at the elementary level, can really mess up a kid’s chances to “get” math. Think of a room full of 5th graders learning the order of operation incorrectly (a real-life example that happened to my best friend’s boy). Done the correct way, (3+3X5)/9=?? is easy-peasy. Incorrectly could be crazy-making for a kid.
Things we learn early on stick and are awfully hard to correct once “learned”. We doubt ourselves and have emotional/stress responses when approached with the problem, struggle to remember which way was correct and could easily decide that we are just no good at the subject. Hopefully, the study, along with maybe improving the system, will spark parents to pay some attention to their kid’s homework. I don’t expect every parent to even know/remember order of operations (my sister, for example, never got it in the first place), but chances are, one or two might and when they find the teacher making a mistake (which is okay, and to be expected now and then,sheesh!), they might be willing to speak up and point out the error. Communication between teachers and parents, to me, is the most fundamental. Not sure how well that is being done in most places, where parents either implicitly trust the teacher or are scared to approach them. Can we work on that, too??
You’re right. This math issue is an important one we all need to address. Math scores are dropping, and parents aren’t flinching. Overall, parental concern over math and science education has fallen since 1994, with 64% stating that math and science education is not a problem in their public school systems. In addition, 70% of those parents surveyed believe that their child’s high school is teaching the right amount of math and science. For more information on “Reality Check 2006,” go to http://www.publicagenda.org/research/pdfs/rc0601.pdf.