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Report Calls for Changes in Math InstructionThe National Council of Teachers of Mathematics issued a report last week urging that math instruction in kindergarten through eighth grade focus on a few basic skills at each grade level, rather than the dozens of topics many states now require. This recommendation represents a major shift from the Council's stance in a 1989 report that called for a constructivist approach, playing down memorization in favor of having children find their own approaches to problems. Citing the significant impact of the 1989 report - explicitly acknowledged by more than half the states' current math standards - some education experts feel the new report, "Curriculum Focal Points," has the potential to initiate a major overhaul in the teaching of mathematics. However, in a New York Times article last week, NCTM president Francis Fennell played this down, adding that he did not like the talk of "math wars." The report does not take a stand on instructional methods, Dr. Fennell pointed out in the Times story, allowing teachers to use whatever works: worksheets, calculators or materials like rods that children can manipulate to try out different numeric relationships.
Questions, ideas, or in need of more information? Please contact Stacey Pusey at 302-295-8349. |
"Report
Urges Changes in the Teaching of Math in U.S. Schools"
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