11/8/17
State of mathematical education
This post is prompted by the frustration I am feeling daily in my job. For those that don't know me, I am a high school math teacher. I love math. Really! I like to tell my students I see math the way I imagine Picasso saw art, or Beethoven saw music. Math is a form of art; it is the art of thinking and problem solving. If you enjoy puzzles, math is for you.
Ok, enough of all that. The purpose of this post is to try and get to the root of a huge issue. Our young generation of students, as with many of their parents, don't see a reason for the study of mathematics. It is something I hear daily. "When am I ever going to use this?" I try to remind my students that they aren't going to graph parabolas in their everyday lives. They wont be asked to solve an absolute value inequality. I understand that and I can appreciate the frustration. However, when you try to offer them something new and different, they just want you to tell them the formula, give them the worksheet, and let them sit there. I can't do that. Because I can't, i find myself frustrated daily, and generally dissatisfied with my job.
A quick example. I tell my students I really don't care if they know how to add, subtract, multiply, or divide. We have tools that do all that stuff for you. What I want is for them to see patterns in the structure of problems. To identify similarities and build rules based on these observations. I refuse to give formulas to my students, rather we investigate the patterns within a certain structure and discuss as a class what norms we can develop for any given situation. In other words, I am trying to get them to think and take risks. All the stuff we are told make our students stronger and better. I find myself at my end. It would be so much easier and less painful to just let them use their formula and fill out a worksheet. The question I have to ask is, can i live with myself if I do that?
So what is the solution? How can we as a community of teachers change the scope of mathematical education? In my humble opinion, we can't. We are being told what and how to teach our kids by a generation of teachers that only knew one way. The older teachers in our community don't want to reflect on best practices or reasons why. they want to shut their door, teach how they teach, and have nothing to do with advancing our profession. We are locked into a system that was changed in the 60's by President Kennedy's call to beat the Russians to the moon. We are still teaching projectile motion science and math. These are obsolete now since we have all the technology to assist in these areas. We need to refocus our objectives to meet the need of this and the next generation. We aren't racing into space anymore. We are racing into the body. We need to change the focus to medicine and technology advances. Genetic sequencing requires the ability to see patterns withing the structure that repeat. Hmmmm, sounds like what i am trying to do with my students who just want to watch their vines and take their Snapchats.
My hope is that this will find its way to some educators who might be passionate about reforming education. Common core opened the door for discussion, but it has also showed where there are a lot of holes. One thing that I was challenged with the other day was do I truly know the math I teach? I know all the procedures and how to break them down, but do I know it? Do I feel comfortable letting students ask questions that take us into new territories previously left out of the curriculum map.
I will continue to share in the hopes we can find a few teachers willing to work together to change education for the future.
State of mathematical education
This post is prompted by the frustration I am feeling daily in my job. For those that don't know me, I am a high school math teacher. I love math. Really! I like to tell my students I see math the way I imagine Picasso saw art, or Beethoven saw music. Math is a form of art; it is the art of thinking and problem solving. If you enjoy puzzles, math is for you.
Ok, enough of all that. The purpose of this post is to try and get to the root of a huge issue. Our young generation of students, as with many of their parents, don't see a reason for the study of mathematics. It is something I hear daily. "When am I ever going to use this?" I try to remind my students that they aren't going to graph parabolas in their everyday lives. They wont be asked to solve an absolute value inequality. I understand that and I can appreciate the frustration. However, when you try to offer them something new and different, they just want you to tell them the formula, give them the worksheet, and let them sit there. I can't do that. Because I can't, i find myself frustrated daily, and generally dissatisfied with my job.
A quick example. I tell my students I really don't care if they know how to add, subtract, multiply, or divide. We have tools that do all that stuff for you. What I want is for them to see patterns in the structure of problems. To identify similarities and build rules based on these observations. I refuse to give formulas to my students, rather we investigate the patterns within a certain structure and discuss as a class what norms we can develop for any given situation. In other words, I am trying to get them to think and take risks. All the stuff we are told make our students stronger and better. I find myself at my end. It would be so much easier and less painful to just let them use their formula and fill out a worksheet. The question I have to ask is, can i live with myself if I do that?
So what is the solution? How can we as a community of teachers change the scope of mathematical education? In my humble opinion, we can't. We are being told what and how to teach our kids by a generation of teachers that only knew one way. The older teachers in our community don't want to reflect on best practices or reasons why. they want to shut their door, teach how they teach, and have nothing to do with advancing our profession. We are locked into a system that was changed in the 60's by President Kennedy's call to beat the Russians to the moon. We are still teaching projectile motion science and math. These are obsolete now since we have all the technology to assist in these areas. We need to refocus our objectives to meet the need of this and the next generation. We aren't racing into space anymore. We are racing into the body. We need to change the focus to medicine and technology advances. Genetic sequencing requires the ability to see patterns withing the structure that repeat. Hmmmm, sounds like what i am trying to do with my students who just want to watch their vines and take their Snapchats.
My hope is that this will find its way to some educators who might be passionate about reforming education. Common core opened the door for discussion, but it has also showed where there are a lot of holes. One thing that I was challenged with the other day was do I truly know the math I teach? I know all the procedures and how to break them down, but do I know it? Do I feel comfortable letting students ask questions that take us into new territories previously left out of the curriculum map.
I will continue to share in the hopes we can find a few teachers willing to work together to change education for the future.
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