In a perfect world, school children would get daily math lessons at just the right level and pace for their needs. Every day kids would experience success, wonderment, and a sense of accomplishment with math. It would be like those Hidden Valley commercials where all the kids love vegetables, except all the kids would love math.
But the education system is far from perfect. Many kids are graduating without math competency. Others have mastered the skills but they don’t like math. Why is that?
There are some secrets about math education that schools and policy makers would rather you didn’t know. Here are four of them.
Secret #1: Math classes haven’t changed much in a hundred years or more.
Sure, there have been a minor advancements. The content has been reformed a few times. Physical math books have been replaced with e-books and chalkboards have been replaced with white boards and SMART boards. But the basic structure and teaching methods today are remarkably similar to those of our grandparents’ generation.
Students still typically sit in rows in classrooms with about 30 kids. The math teacher lectures in the front and gives assignments. Kids work individually or in small groups to get the answers to a set of problems. Frequent unit tests evaluate student mastery and a grade is given. Then the class moves on to the next topic. Many students get an unsatisfactory grade but don’t get the remediation and extra time and to master the concept.
Teachers are under pressure to stick to the pacing set out by the state and the school district. Kids who need extra time and practice regularly end up with massive learning gaps. They get discouraged about math and develop anxieties or pretend they don’t care. Kids who learn best through kinesthetic and auditory modalities are frequently not getting instruction that matches their learning style.
Why hasn’t this been fixed?
The math curriculum is just too big for the teachers to remediate those students who need it. It would take a huge paradigm shift and a significantly higher teacher to student ratio to give kids the kind of individualized lessons and pacing needed to individualize instruction. This is the main reason supplemental math education, like ours at Mathnasium of Parker is critical for both accelerated learners and those who need extra time and practice.
Secret #2: Teachers don’t have proper diagnostic tools
Kids take plenty of tests but many of the tests are not designed for helping teachers serve students. The standardized test known as PARCC or CMAS results don’t give enough detail to provide teachers with helpful information. Plus, the results come after the student has completed that grade. By then, the teachers and students have often moved on to the next challenges. Also, because standardized tests tend to have political tie-ins, they often change from year to year, making an individual student’s growth difficult to assess. Unit tests only test material taught in the last month or so. They fail diagnose a learning gap from a previous grade or gaps in foundational knowledge. For example, an algebra teacher won’t know if a student never mastered fractions, but the lack of mastery will impact the student’s ability to understand the quadratic equation.
Why hasn’t this been fixed?
The proper diagnostic tools would be useless unless teachers could modify the pacing and the curriculum to fit the needs of the individual child. Special education has much better diagnostic tools and control over the pace of instruction than regular education. If you think your child may have a math learning disability, like dyscalculia, advocate for your child at the school and bring them into Mathnasium of Parker today.
Secret #3: There aren’t enough good math teachers.
Many elementary teachers are not properly trained to teach math. Decades of ineffective math instruction has had a negative impact on the abilities of math teachers. Often their own negative attitudes and personal experiences with math affect the children’s view of math. See our article What Makes a Good Math Teacher.
Why hasn’t this been fixed?
There is a shortage of qualified teachers in general. Politics, low wages and a negative public image of teachers among other factors make teaching a less desirable profession for many would-be teachers. Add the fact that anyone with high level skills in mathematics can select from a variety of extremely lucrative careers and earn double or higher what they would as a teacher with much less hassle and challenge. Changing this would take a major shift in resources and attitudes from the public as well as policy makers. By comparison, Finnish teachers get more respect, more training, and more money than U.S. teachers. Consequently the Finns have more teacher applicants and can choose the top 7% of applicants.
Secret #4: Certain populations of math students don’t get the encouragement & support to excel in math. Despite overwhelming research to the contrary, the myth that girls and some minority groups have less of a “math brain” than other people persists. Cognitive scientists, psychologists, and educators refute the idea of a “math brain”, and insist that most everyone is capable of mastering advanced math concepts. It just takes time, effort, and a plan for success.
Why hasn’t this been fixed?
There are concerted efforts from experts to change these attitudes. Unfortunately, shifting people’s attitudes and stereotypes often takes generations and a concerted public awareness campaign. Mathnasium of Parker joins with many others to break down barriers. Parents also need to be careful about how, why, and when they praise their children in math to encourage effort and growth.
What Can You Do About these Problems?
You are already on the right path. You are learning. You can also help spread awareness about the challenges our schools face. Use your vote to support issues, amendments and bills important to math education and education in general. Find time to volunteer in the classroom to help kids who are struggling.
If your own children are struggling in math, support them, encourage them, and incorporate math into your daily life.
And of course bring them into Mathnasium of Parker for them to get the help they need! Call us to find out more! 303-840-1184
This article was written by and owned by Cuttlefish Copywriting, www.cuttlefishcopywriting.com . It is copyright protected. Mathnasium of Parker has permission to use it. Other Mathnasium locations should contact Heather at [email protected] before using it.
