In order to start our initial discussions, please visit the New York Times site and print or save the article:
Why Do Americans Stink at Math? By: Elizabeth Green
Located here: http://nyti.ms/1nTvjER
Task:
If you printed the article; read the first 4 pages or read until you see the bold The new math paragraph (Top of Page 5)
Comment on the following:
1. What are your initial reactions to way the Americans teach and implement teaching math as discussed?
2. How can you relate your own experiences the past few years to what was described about American Teachers and the way they teach?
3. Comment on a colleagues post to engage in a meaningful conversation.
As someone who wonders often why Americans stink at math and do not enjoy math, reading this article was very interesting to me. Everyone always talks about trying to make math interesting to students and having students discover formulas, proofs, and theorems on their own. It would be fantastic if students were able to spend elementary school discovering mathematics instead of memorizing math facts. Then as student’s progress to middle school they will have a basic understanding of proofs, theorems, formulas, etc. and by the time they get to high school the aspect of problem solving, critical thinking, and discovery will be enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who has been in math classes both before and after the implementation of the Common Core, I know what was taught by teachers during both times. The only major different I am noticing when it comes to the implementation of the Common Core curriculum is more reading, word problems, and multi-step problems. Unfortunately, in the high school I do not see much of a push to self-discovery of mathematical concepts. Students still lack an appreciation for math and are constantly asking, when am I ever going to use this? I think a lot of teachers want to be more innovative in teaching math to their students, but are limited with the Common Core exams at the end of the school year that teachers need to make sure they are teaching to throughout the school year.
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DeleteI am in complete agreement with your last comment. As a math teacher, I definitely feel pressure to cover material before the assessment. I would love to be more innovative and creative in the way I teach, but there is no time. Some days I can barely get through a lesson. Not to mention the fact that much of what I have to cover is developmentally inappropriate.
DeleteI agree Karen, one of the most challenging pieces of the modules I struggle with is the the complexity of some of the word problems and developmental appropriateness.
DeleteTime and time again i keep seeing the underlying factor in the classroom to be TIME! I wish there was some magic wand to wave to solve the problem and i really feel as though teachers would step outside the box and do the discovery learning and PBL.
DeleteI agree, and with all of the emphasis on high stakes testing and using this test score to determine a teacher's SLO, not many teachers are going to put the test aside and do discovery based learning anyways. It is just not practical when you are worried and pressured about your scores and ultimately your job. I can understand why kids are turned off of math when they cannot decipher what a word problem is even asking because of the vocabulary used.
DeleteMy initial reaction to this article was to chuckle a little bit. If we only had the time to let students discover. It would be amazing! I also found it interesting that it referred to the memorization of facts and formulas. I don't see much of that happening either. I think teachers are under way too much pressure to cover all the material before the assessments. That limits the time we have to let kids discover. Prior to the implementation of common core, I was often able to let students work on the discovery piece before I would get into the lesson. There is no time for that now. I feel that I am covering material way too quickly and not as thoroughly as I was able to prior to the CCSS. I often feel that I am telling them “how to” because there is no time for them to figure it out on their own. I think this is a huge turn off for most kids. They don't see the need for many of these skills and math is not fun. If they had the time to experiment and figure things out on their own, it might be a different story. I also feel that the addition of complex math text and multi-step problems is slowing kids down and turning them off completely. I see it with my own child and I don’t like it.
ReplyDeleteAt least we both laughed! I totally agree that the time for students to "discover" anything is lost. That was something I enjoyed about teaching but really don't have time for anymore. I often feel like I am just barking material to students instead of teaching them. There is just so much to cover!!
DeleteExactly. I feel like I am just giving them information that they aren't ready for yet. Then I have the kids who could teach the class!
DeleteGreat points Karen, you and most math teachers are in the same boat! Do you think if the NY State Assessment was taken off the table and the CC Standards stayed you would change how your are teaching in any way?
DeleteI would definitely not feel the pressure that I do now. I would give the students more opportunities to discover and figure things out for themselves, rather than listening to me tell them how to solve a problem. I had a great opening activity today that forced the kids to think about ways to solve a problem. There were multiple solutions so we had a great discussion. I would like to do that every day!
DeleteKaren,
DeleteI couldn't agree more. Why isn't there more time for experiential learning especially in Math..
I agree. I don't feel the CC Standards are the issue, implementation and assessments? Yes! I think if we did away high stakes testing, and the Modules with their unrealistic pacing and allowed teachers to teach, there would be few complaints about Common Core.
Delete1. What are your initial reactions to way the Americans teach and implement teaching math as discussed?
ReplyDeleteWell, what stood out to me most was page 3, paragraph 3. "The trouble starts when teachers are told to put innovative ideas into practice without much guidance on how to do it." WOW! I laughed out loud when I read that sentence! It felt like they interviewed me for the article. The one thing I have said a million times since the common core was implemented, was how can the state dump this new curriculum on teachers and not train us how to properly use it in any way?!?!? This always made me furious. I was never against the math common core. I've been teaching 18 years and have taught math before and after the common core. I couldn't figure out why we never fully trained in how to use it. I had hours of training when we adopted our last math text book series, so why wouldn't the state provide us the same type of training? My guess is money. It would cost the state too much money to train so many teachers on how to properly teach the new math curriculum. Not a big surprise if you ask me.
I agree with you Audrey...training is key. I also think consistent implementation across grade levels and districts is important.
DeleteAudrey I so agree with you about training. The common core is written for teachers with a strong math background. If math is not someone's strong point then training should be provided. Real training, not do-it-yourself over the summer training.
Delete2. How can you relate your own experiences the past few years to what was described about American Teachers and the way they teach?
ReplyDeleteI can certainly relate to children and parents frustration with the new math common core. If we have been frustrated with it, imagine how they feel? It does become a whole new problem to deal with, and little to no answers. I'm not used to dealing with their frustrations regarding curriculum.
I am TOTALLY frustrated as the parent of a 4th grader. I can see that he is just not catching on the some of the material. There is nothing I can do because he shuts me right out. It's awful!
DeleteI can understand how some parents are frustrated when trying to help their children with their math homework. I know it took me several years before I became comfortable with the "new" way of teaching math.
DeleteMy initial reaction is…if only I had more time. I would love to have more student driven lessons where students are unpacking and discovering the learning with each other. Currently I have 60 solid minutes to teach math, with perhaps 15 minutes later in the day to meet with small group or individuals to provide support. In the consultant teacher model, the methods regarding how to teach math and how students learn are even more diverse. This makes “time” even more of a challenge. With all of that said, over the past few years, time is also a concern because my job requires me to teach the modules by a certain date in order for students to be prepared for NYS assessments. As Karen stated, I also struggle with the developmental appropriateness of some of the material.
ReplyDeleteCan you give an example of what you feel would be developmentally inappropriate in your grade level?
DeleteIt is always challenging when there is not enough time in the day to be the educator that you want to be. When it comes to scheduling, there is not always enough time to plan the innovative lessons that we want!
DeleteHi Jessi...I just feel the complexity of the word problems can be too overwhelming at times. The students who already struggle with reading comprehension can't make it successfully through a multi-step problem because they don't understand the language.
DeleteMy initial reaction is: I feel Math is not being done justice as someone that majored in Math initially I had a passion for it. I was taught the "old style" however I had amazing teachers in High School that made the memorization part of Math the "I we You" part I enjoyed. However, now that I am given an opportunity to teach 'Applied Math" in carpentry I see the light.
ReplyDeleteI think you hit the nail right on the head.
Delete1. What are your initial reactions to way the Americans teach and implement teaching math as discussed?
ReplyDeletePage three stood out because it reminds of how everybody wants to be the first school to say they do something different. When it comes time to roll out the "big Idea" there is very little information or training on how to do it.
2. How can you relate your own experiences the past few years to what was described about American Teachers and the way they teach?
I think that students and parents will both be frustrated. Students will be because its new to them and the same goes for the parents.
Some parents may not be able to understand how to do the math.
Great points James, i must agree! The entire roll out of Common Core is what was done wrong in my eyes!
DeleteI think it sounds pretty typical of how things work here in the United States. We seem to come up with wonderfully innovative ways to teach, but don’t always have the follow through. It would be great to allow children to discover on their own, but as many others have already stated, there are so many demands and not enough time. I know that in our district we have shifted to teaching the math modules. Some teachers follow it precisely, while others have tweaked it to best meet or match their teaching style. I agree that districts are quick to jump in full throttle to new programs but often do not provide the necessary training to implement them effectively and with fidelity. As a teacher, learning how to teach math more conceptually has been a transition. After working with the modules for the past few years, I totally see the benefits. Parents however do not have that same time invested in learning this new way and become easily frustrated. It is hard for them to support their children. They do not understand the models and the importance of learning math concepts as opposed to memorizing steps.
ReplyDelete1. What are your initial reactions to way the Americans teach and implement teaching math as discussed?
ReplyDeleteWhen I think back to the past text book series that we used I am amazed how much the classroom curriculum has changed. We have really moved towards a focus of mathematical understanding.
2. How can you relate your own experiences the past few years to what was described about American Teachers and the way they teach?
Over the past few years I have implemented the modules at 3 grade levels. It has been very valuable to see how the concepts progress from grade to grade. I feel that the modules are well written from a mathematical standpoint, but not from a realistic instructional perspective. The biggest fault is listed at the beginning of each lesson where engageNY has mapped out the teaching time.
I agree!! Glad to hear you see the positives though!! More time is a factor and not a one size fits all time frame!
DeleteHeidi,
DeleteI am glad to see that the concepts are able to progress from year to year. I agree with you that the timing is definitely way off. I am curious what your other faults are that you see with the realistic instructional perspective.
My past experiences with my own math teachers have been very similar to what I have read in this article. I have gone through countless timed tests, plug and chug quizzes, keep change flip for fractions, common denominators, find "x" and more. A teacher was considered a great teacher if they could explain the procedures the best to you and without hesitation. It wasn't until college and attending conferences did I actually see teachers teaching the "whys" of mathematics. Why do we find a common denominator, why is area of a rectangle the base multiplied by the height, why we carry a number when we add. I understand teachers are dealing with NO time to teach and a LARGE curriculum to cover but I think if we gave less with more explanation then the students would discover the rest of the material on their own.
ReplyDeleteI have been trying my best to explain the content to my students for the last 9 years of teaching. Yes I am guilty when I started teaching of falling back in to the "procedural" ways of doing things until I learned how to do it differently. I think some teachers are maybe unsure or uncomfortable going thru the "whys" of the content which I witnessed through a friend of mine who taught 4th grade but struggled with very basic math so she was very hesitant on anything fancy during her math lessons. I have to say I am lucky though, I have almost unlimited time with my students in my classroom setting and because I teach at a Career and Tech Center and I teach math, the students see the math in action. So we have always used the "Common Core" approach in teaching math.
I completely agree Sarah. I think small changes each year will help teachers start to change their thinking and the way they teach.
DeleteMy initial reaction is that I am not that surprised after witnessing this exact issue firsthand. In my short career, there have already been several teaching "fads" that everyone gets very excited about, but then it seems to fall by the wayside and it is (in my experience) always due to one factor: lack of time. Great ideas take time to learn, reflect on, plan for, and implement. Half day conference days twice a school year are not very beneficial, and neither are random pull out days away from my students. We have many great ideas of how to improve our classrooms and we know exactly what our kids need, but we never have the time or budget or freedom to successfully implement such ideas. I think Common Core, like many new ideas of the past, has good aspects but it was so poorly rolled out. I personally feel that it would have been more successful had it been rolled out grade by grade and students moved up with it. Unfortunately our education secretary at the time felt otherwise, and then the public backlash began.
ReplyDeleteWhen the article discussed discovery based learning, it reminded me a lot of Montessori education. It seems that Montessori preschool programs are in high demand from people I have spoken with, so it makes me wonder why public schools have such a disconnect from this type of learning and such a weird fascination with covering as much curriculum as possible.
I think the biggest issue is time. I wonder how much time each day and each year is spent teaching Math in Japan? With so many topics to cover in a given year it is difficult to teach math any differently. In our Algebra class we know that we will not cover all of the material for the year and we decide in the beginning of the year what we will be leaving out. I would love to try and let my students discover more about math but I am unsure how much time it would take.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article, I thought to myself about how much meaningful time it requires, along with dedication, to facilitate the undertaking of implementing a new set of math standards. It seems like such a great idea to have students discovering the concepts in math instead of repeating a process over and over. However, there is a side of me that feels that many of our students will get frustrated when they cannot figure something out, because they are not used to having to discover new learning. I very much agree with the author's comment, "Trouble always starts when teachers are told to put innovative ideas into practice without much guidance on how to do it." The idea of the Common Core standards is great. The implementation of the standards was not done well. My previous teaching assignment took great deal of initiative with professional development regarding the CCLS for math. We were able to spend multiple days working with a content specialist from BOCES. I do wish that there was a better system to implement a universal way of implementing the standards, but this is a monumental task. I fear that many districts are not giving their teachers enough time to learn the standards and promote higher order discovery thinking skills. Teachers need the opportunity to grow, and learn, if they are expected to encourage critical thinking and problem solving in the classroom daily. Kyle H
ReplyDelete