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LATEST SUBMISSIONS

More mediocre math instruction no cure-all

Thursday, March 15 at 8:00 AM

This Speakout has not been edited

By Richard Becker, Broomfield

The Rocky Mountain News editorial of 3-1-07 “Overboard on math” questioning the requirement of four years of math and science raises some valid points. Four more years of mediocre instruction will not impart the desired quality.

A Rocky Mountain News editorial of 11-25-96 “Wanted: Real math teachers” cites a study by the National Commission on Teaching and America’s future. It notes that “.....one fourth of all teachers in secondary schools lack even a minor in their fields. The nation’s math teachers? Some 40% lack proper training. Science teachers? Some 30% are unqualified, the group has reported.”

The current concept of potential teachers majoring in “education", creates the lack of proper training when they graduate with a degree, are hired by a school district where they are assigned teaching duties in fields in which they lack knowledge and expertise.

The key is a return to the teacher education and training concept of the past. As this writer knows from experience in college ‘60-’65 for the BS degree in Industrial Education, all prospective teachers were required to declare at least a major and minor field, if not a double major, in desired teaching fields. In addition to intense instruction in the chosen fields to create knowledge and expertise required for effective instruction, required courses included teaching methods as proven means of imparting the information, and writing instructional material. When testing showed that students were not learning, it meant that the course material and/or teacher presentation must be changed to ensure learning.

Before me as this is written, is a textbook titled “Arithmetic for college students". Published in the first edition in 1969, when the New Math was introduced, my sixth edition was published in 1991 and shelved in a college bookstore on 5-5-94.

Arithmetic is the basis for all other mathematics. How can high school students graduate with high grades required for college entrance, and still require elementary school arithmetic? If they require elementary school arithmetic, because schools failed to impart it, they cannot effectively complete intense instruction in math education.

Arithmetic was better taught in 1951. A textbook titled Machine Shop Mathematics addressed arithmetic as a review, on the assumption that high school graduates enrolled in the program had been taught and mastered it. It then covers geometry as geometric construction for drafting, and shop trigonometry. If vocational students were that well taught in arithmetic, surely the students of the day enrolling in college were equally prepared.

As a result of HB 00-1464 passed by the legislature to require high school remedial work for high school graduates as college freshmen to complete that in community colleges, the Front Range CC established REA 090 College Preparatory Reading, ENG 090 Basic Composition, and MAT 090 Introductory Algebra. Basics they should have mastered prior to graduation and college entrance. If they lack reading and math, they cannot complete intense math instruction because reading is a basic element of college work.

Lacking adequate math preparation in high school, they will not choose a math major or minor. Perhaps to break the cycle, it may be necessary to hire retired engineers and others whose success depended on math to be teachers to break the cycle.

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