this great (yet stealth) epidemic of math phobia? The complex solution lies in a combination of three actions. ONE: Launch a public campaign to reduce math phobia. Educate families of the fact that mathematical ability is not genetically inherited, that are multiple ways to learn and use math, and that hard work impacts mathematical understanding and achievement. TWO: Create a balanced, national curriculum that focuses on what NCTM calls procedural fluency and the automatic recall of facts, and works to develop conceptual understanding. In other words, students should learn both the to’ and behind math concepts. Of course, ‘how ‘why’ creating a national curriculum will take, quite literally, an act of Congress, so I propose a curriculum, one that is upon standards such as those put forth by the National recommended Math Advisory Panel. Adoption of a streamlined curriculum would enable educational stakeholders (teachers, administrators, textbook publishers, assessors, etc.) to focus resources on developing a highly effective system that meets the needs of all learners. THREE: Require teachers, regardless of teaching level, to become proficient in math, especially in the Foundations of Algebra” as set recommended by the NMAP. Far too “Critical many early childhood and elementary teachers lack the conceptual understandings they need in order to adequately prepare their students. Worse yet, due to this lack of knowledge, they inadvertently teach concepts incorrectly (e.g. can’t subtract a larger number from a smaller “You one.”) thereby setting students up for misconceptions in upper grades with subsequent concepts. Once America adopts a moratorium on math phobia, recommends and supports a national curriculum, and adequately prepares its teachers, we will find our ability to compete globally significantly strengthened. After all, when students find success in math, they often find success in related fields like science, technology, and engineering, thereby proving Math Is POWER! THE TEACHING PROFESSION
this great (yet stealth) epidemic of math phobia? The complex solution lies in a combination of three actions. ONE: Launch a public campaign to reduce math phobia. Educate families of the fact that mathematical ability is not genetically inherited, that are multiple ways to learn and use math, and that hard work impacts mathematical understanding and achievement. TWO: Create a balanced, national curriculum that focuses on what NCTM calls procedural fluency and the automatic recall of facts, and works to develop conceptual understanding. In other words, students should learn both the ‘how to’ and ‘why’ behind math concepts. Of course, creating a national curriculum will take, quite literally, an act of Congress, so I propose a recommended curriculum, one that is upon standards such as those put forth by the National Math Advisory Panel. Adoption of a streamlined curriculum would enable educational stakeholders (teachers, administrators, textbook publishers, assessors, etc.) to focus resources on developing a highly effective system that meets the needs of all learners. THREE: Require teachers, regardless of teaching level, to become proficient in math, especially in the “Critical Foundations of Algebra” as set recommended by the NMAP. Far too many early childhood and elementary teachers lack the conceptual understandings they need in order to adequately prepare their students. Worse yet, due to this lack of knowledge, they inadvertently teach concepts incorrectly (e.g. “You can’t subtract a larger number from a smaller one.”) thereby setting students up for misconceptions in upper grades with subsequent concepts. Once America adopts a moratorium on math phobia, recommends and supports a national curriculum, and adequately prepares its teachers, we will find our ability to compete globally significantly strengthened. After all, when students find success in math, they often find success in related fields like science, technology, and engineering, thereby proving Math Is POWER! THE TEACHING PROFESSION
SPARKS__OKLAHOMA_TEACHER_OF_THE_YEAR_PORTFOLIO.docx