Things are Looking Up

Hey, you droogs,

There was an interesting post on the Whallah! blog about an article in the Associated Press, concerning the education of math teachers in public schools.

Apparently the National Council on Teacher Quality has done a comprehensive study to come to the conclusion that everyone who is not an “expert” has known for years: Teachers are not being taught math adequately, and generally fail to teach it well to their students. (Do tell…)

Isn’t it funny that the “establishment” will never admit that? It takes an expensive academic “study” to show what is already known, yet Universities (in general) will not do anything about the way they teach teacher how to teach math. They will try some new, expensive methods that some textbook company has lobbied for, of course. But they won’t try anything that might actually work.

That’s why homeschooling and afterschooling are becoming more and more important. Taking an interest in your own child’s education is more important than ever, as public schools tank in their ability to actually teach, thanks to the natural entropy of society, and the idiotically simple-minded ways some people like to deal with it, as with the subtly(?) sardonically named “No Child Left Behind” act.

According to the AP article:

“Author Julie Greenberg said education students should be taking courses that give them a deeper understanding of arithmetic and multiplication. She said the courses should explain how math concepts build upon each other and why certain ideas need to be emphasized in the classroom.         

“Teacher candidates know their multiplication tables, but “they don’t come to us knowing why multiplication works the way it does,” said Denise Mewborn, who heads the University of Georgia department of math and science education.”

This is the key to most of what every student needs to know…

… – how multiplication works. Addition is almost intuitive. It is an extension of counting. Once you extend addition to multiplication, (be careful, this does not mean that multiplication is simply an extension of addition) though, you need a good understanding of how the base ten system works, and the commutative, associative, and distributive laws. You don’t need to know the names of those laws, of course, but you need to understand how to use them in order to understand multiplication.

That’s the big issue. Just being able to recite multiplication tables is not actually being able to understand multiplication. And just going through the motions and repeating math steps that a teacher has “taught” you by show-and-tell methods, so you can prove that you can jump through the hoops for the big test at the end of the year usually does more damage to your understanding that anything.

So what is there to do about it?

First, as a truly concerned parent or teacher, make sure you, yourself understand some of the nuances of multiplication. Like why when you multiply by a fraction, the product is smaller than the multiplicand. (Did I get you with that one? Leave a comment below requesting the Math Mojo take on that one, and I’ll cover it in a new post).

Second, make sure you have at least two ways of explaining to your students how multiplication works. Not just how to do it, but how it actually works. I’m working on a video series about this now. Send me a nudge (again, in a comment below) to make it a higher priority to get it done and available to you faster.

Third, make sure you have a way to assess if your child or students understand what you taught them. The assessment doesn’t have to be a test. Tests are more about beating kids over the head. Asking questions and asking to demonstrate, in a non-threatening way would be my first strategy. If you must beat someone over the head, start with someone in an administrative position.

Here’s one of the reasons why:

According to the AP article:

“Since states oversee the preparation of the nation’s school teachers, the report recommends they set tougher coursework and testing standards.”

Why is does the solution always involve browbeating the learners? Why are the words “tough” and “testing” so often involved? How on earth does that teach or inspire? The problem isn’t that, “those who can’t do, teach.” The people who run those studies and teach university level education courses usually can do the math they are supposed to teach quite well.

The problem is that “those that can’t teach, teach.” Then they “train” teachers, instead of teaching them. No wonder those teachers have problems teaching. And no wonder the

As I always say, look up when you look for where the problem lies. You can’t blame a third grader for not learning. If it’s behavior problems, there might be an issue beyond the teacher’s scope, but most behavior problems are dealt with by good teachers. Also, I’m sure you understand that I am not talking about children with neurological damage. That is an issue outside the realm of my expertise.

But beyond those things, start looking up the chain for someone who needs the butt-kicking. If the teacher can’t teach, was  s/he taught well? (Are they even allowed to teach well in that school?) If the teacher’s teacher can’t teach, was s/he taught well? Is the administrator constantly putting monkey-wrenches in the teacher’s teaching techniques? Is something going on at the School Board mucking up the school? Is the state requiring more tests, but providing less resources for teachers and students? Did some idiot in the White House set everyone else up to fail so he can push some hidden agenda?

Keep looking up. Here’s a hint: Besides the handicapped, who’s got the parking spot closest to the school entrance? Start with him/her.

Remember - when things are looking bad, begin to look up.

I hope to hear from some of you soon,

Brian (a.k.a. Professor Homunculus)