Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Math, The Way It Could Be?



Finally I have read an article with data (proof)  that there is a need to have math teachers just teach math in elementary school starting in fourth grade at the latest.  This month's "American Educator" magazine has the article titled  "What's Sophisticated about Elementary Mathematics?

The point of the article is that elementary schools need math teachers.  They need teachers who focus specifically on one subject to be able to get to the heart of the matter.  Students need to know the basics.  They need to know how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide.  They also need to know why and how everything works.  They need to be able to apply the math to their own life.  They need to understand algebraically at a young age how numbers and place value work.  They need all of this continually repeated.

When I taught in the lower elementary grades I always felt that math got less attention.  I taught it in the afternoon when the little ones were exhausted and sometimes falling asleep on the carpet.

Now there is a push in some places to have math specific teachers.  The teachers can focus on one discipline and dig real deep to build those crucial understandings and connections.  Lets get that push moving!  The students and the country depend on it!

Can we have a little bit of science too?

1 comment:

  1. Yes! That was a great article in "The American Educator." I'm glad to see it resonated with others, too.

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