I have been somewhat fascinated by the level of coverage the national media outlets have provided on the topic of "how to teach math". In the past year there have been numerous articles on whether the current Ontario method of 'exploratory' math is failing our students. A number of provinces as of late have returned to the more traditional approach.
So, we is the media so concerned about how teachers are teaching math? Well, it comes down to scores. We are talking about our (Ontario and other provinces) slipping scores in international rankings on math scores among our students. See, back in 2000 Canada was ranked 6th among participating nations on math scores. Much emphasis is placed on math, as it is a subject that is need to sustain innovation. In some nations, a mathematically gifted child is guarded and prized, as he or she will have a successful and prosperous life (maybe as an Engineer or Physician). Lets go back to 2000. This is also the year that most Canadian provinces changed their math curriculum to the 'exploratory' approach. So where are we going with this? Well since 2000, our scores on international rankings have been slipping... all the way down to 13th for 2013. You ask, is this a coincidence or is something happening here? Many scholars would say something is indeed happening. Many scholars would say, we need to return to a more fundamental approach to teaching math.
Well, I am not sure it is that easy. I don't think returning to a more fundamental approach will bring us back up to 6th place by 2023. I believe we need a balance between the fundamentals and the exploratory approach. The scholars need to consider 13 years did pass between 2000 and 2013, and there may have been many other factors at play.
To further your reading, here's a pretty good article: Math Wars - Globe and Mail. January 10, 2014
You make an excellent point! We often like to point out something and remove it from its context. I remeber being taught that something out of context is meaningless, so we should definately look at what else is going on. At the same time, since this is peoples' futrues we are dealing with, we should look at other countries and see what their rankings have been, how they have changed, and what they did to cause that change (assuming their is a link).
ReplyDeleteI think a happy medium could be reached. In my opinion, the fundamental building blocks were taught better the 'old fashion way'. I'm talking about core math concepts, like addition to division, decimals, percents, ratios, formulas, order of operations, negative integers, the steps to take to answer a word problem, basic algebra, etc. Once those are well established, then exploratory math can be used to further understanding and critical thinking. In this way, exploratory learning can be weaved throughout the curriculum to build on the building blocks once they're taught. I also think calculators should not be allowed until kids have strong mental math skills in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Otherwise, we're crippling them right from the start.
ReplyDeleteI am coming from a European country where all the subjects were taught the old fashion way! No exploration, no fun, no debating, no discovery!
ReplyDeleteEverything needed to be memorized, accepted the way it was presented and then reproduced.
School again! There is no fun to go to school!
It was a system that promoted the gifted students.
What about the rest of the students?
When our daughter went to school here in Canada I was so surprised to hear "Mom, I can't wait to go to school!".
The answer came to me after few parent teacher interviews.
What was the reason? The exploratory approach was used with success by the teachers at that school!
Totally agree that building a solid foundation of knowledge will allowed you to use with success the DI strategies, making the classroom a place where the kids will enjoy spending the day.