Math!!!! Oh Why Have You Changed!

Do you ever wonder why people who graduated high school before the year 2000 can't understand why the teaching of math has changed so dramatically? Is there something wrong with they way we all learned? I often get these questions from students parents and my own friends because we have a difficult time accepting these changes. So, why has it changed? In order to answer this we have to think about how society, especially the types of jobs and the new technologies that are being used in them, have changed. The standard way in which math is taught was created over 500 years ago, as expanding commerce required widespread use of complex systems of accounting, arithmetic and rudimentary algebra. In a 1989 article named, "Teaching Mathematics for Tomorrow's World," Lynn Arthur Steen states that, "Geometry and arithmetic thinking and calculating are not only paradigms of school mathematics but also caricatures of mathematics in the minds of parents. Today, for quite different reasons, neither goal is especially relevant. Although most children learn to calculate well enough, calculators have made this hard-learned skill virtually obsolete. And although high school students still study proofs in geometry, little learned there and little is all it is transfers to clarity of thought in other important areas of life." It is more important in today's world to teach; the value of math, how to reason mathematically, how to communicate mathematically and how to solve problems in order to develop confidence in math. Although a standardized method worked for some students, a majority of students did not value, reason, communicate, or understand what they were doing in order to solve questions. Children were forced to follow steps to solve equations, without making sense of what they were doing. I often explain to my class that math has little to do with numbers, but rather has to do with numbers representing things. It is alarming to see how many students do not understand this concept. Over the past few math classes, we have been discussing why we're doing what we're doing and what we can do to solve a problem (not how). This was brought about by a large number of students having difficulties understanding how to start solving a problem. It was easier for students to just give up and admit defeat then it was for them to use trial and error, or creativity, to solve the problem. Below are some great links to help parents understand why math has changed. http://www.stolaf.edu/people/steen/Papers/edl.html www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/studentsuccess/.../mathinstruction.pptShare

Basic Facts

Here is an excerpt from, "Mastering the Basic Math Facts in Addition and Subtraction," by Susan O’Connell and John SanGiovanni. This piece states the importance of basic fact mastery very well. "Being able to add and subtract within 20 and multiply and divide within 100 is essential during the early years of schooling, and the basic facts of addition/ subtraction and multiplication/division are a critical baseline, not only then but also during later work with fractions, decimals, ratio, proportion, and more. Foundational? You better believe it. Essential? Absolutely." To read the rest of this article follow the link.