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Setting the Record Straight about Changes in Mathematics Education:
Commonsense Facts to Clear the Air
Much of the current controversy surrounding school mathematics centers
on the recommendations of the National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics (NCTM) regarding improvements in mathematics curriculum,
instruction, and assessment. Here are some facts.
Fact #1: School mathematics must meet the needs of a much greater proportion of students than it has in the past. NCTM advocates a mathematics curriculum that meets the needs of ALL students, without shortchanging any student.
Why?
Because for much of history mathematics has been an effective "sorter"
of human talent: few "got it," some mastered little more than
arithmetic basics, and many were left far behind. Today, however,
changes in the workplace, the demands of effective citizenship, and the
mathematizing of so much of our lives requires that school mathematics
empower all students. Meeting this goal of building mathematics
programs that empower all students implies changes in curricular
expectations for students as well as in instructional practices.
Quality mathematics for all is an enriched mathematics, not a
watered-down mathematics.
Fact #2: Technology is a way of life.
When used appropriately, it can enhance learning as it has enhanced the
quality of our lives. In light of the accessibility, speed, and
accuracy of calculators, NCTM advocates a mathematics curriculum that
balances an appropriate use of calculators with an emphasis on mental
calculations with one- and two-digit numbers, estimation throughout the
curriculum, and meaningful pencil-and-paper calculation.
Why?
Because calculators and computers are unquestionably among the most
powerful forces for change in school mathematics. When calculators can
do multidigit long division in a microsecond, graph complicated
functions at the push of a button, and instantaneously calculate
derivatives and integrals, serious questions arise about what is
important in the mathematics curriculum and what it means to learn
mathematics. More than ever, mathematics must include the mastery of
concepts instead of mere memorization and the following of procedures.
More than ever, school mathematics must include an understanding of how
to use technology to arrive meaningfully at solutions to problems
instead of endless attention to increasingly outdated computational
tedium. And more than ever, the power of technology can help students
develop stronger understandings of essential mathematical concepts.
Fact #3: The most important skill that business and industry demand is an ability to solve problems,
particularly unfamiliar and nonroutine problems that arise daily. NCTM
advocates mathematics teaching that emphasizes applications and problem
solving.
Why? Because at its core, mathematics is a tool that
helps us quantify the many scientific, economic, and social phenomena
of the world and solve problems by applying mathematics. Mathematics
arises from, and is learned through, the exploration and study of such
everyday activities as buying and selling, comparing, measuring,
visualizing, predicting, and interpreting. Mathematics is more about
modeling and predicting average wait time at a fast-food establishment
on the basis of the number of cash-register lines in operation than it
is about simplifying complex polynomials. Mathematics is more about
studying trajectories and predicting accurately where objects will land
than it is about memorizing the quadratic formula. In short,
mathematics must entail the study, understanding, and application of a
set of concepts and skills commonly used by real people, in real
settings, every day.
Brought
to you by the 100,000 members of the National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics in the interest of common sense, moving forward, and
helping all children learn mathematics.
Approved by the NCTM Board of Directors. Permission is granted to quote or reproduce these statements or portions of them.
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This Page was last updated: Friday, February 27, 2004 at 11:45:09 AM
This page was originally posted: 5/23/2001; 2:54:36 PM.
Copyright 2009 cmcmath
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