To solve students' math problems, eucators go to school - Boosting teacher skills seen as key

Boston Globe ^ | August 18, 2003 | Sharon Kahn Luttrell

[Cincinatus' Wife]

MILFORD - Meagan Washington took just two math courses when she was studying to become a teacher, one in basic math and one in teaching methods. Now a fourth-grade teacher in Westborough, she sometimes feels overwhelmed trying to prepare 9- and 10-year-olds for state tests on everything from fractions and decimals to multiplication algorithms.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

educators - sorry about the copy-paste. But then, it really is hard to call them educators.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

***Most of the 21,000 elementary school teachers in the state are ``seriously deficient'' in math, the report states, based on interviews with local school administrators and state and national math specialists.

The report also recommends that colleges and universities boost their math requirements for education majors. Many schools require no more than a single math course for future teachers.

____________________________ ***

They're too busy teaching education theory. That bs is easier to teach and doesn't require any brains.

[raisincane]

When they are done with the course, they need to abandon the NEA.

[Diogenesis]

Education in Massachusetts is a joke.

Given the love affairs for Bulger and Laboy --- forgetaboutit.

[Paleo Conservative]

They're too busy teaching education theory. That bs is easier to teach and doesn't require any brains.

About like journalism.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

.... they need to abandon the NEA.

It will never happen. Parents need to abandon public schools.

What unions, other than teachers' unions, are given a pass as self serving and/or Democratic Party political movers and shakers?

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Bump!

[kcordell]

.... they need to abandon the NEA.

I agree it will never happen. The Nea gets a tremendous amount of tax dollars and then turns around and donates it to politicians and parties.

[Zorrito]

In collges, the low IQ students become education majors. No wonder they join a union; it gives these semi-illiterates job protection and income far, far greater than their worth.

Support school vouchers!

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Parents need to check out the advances and advantages of homeschooling.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

``It's a vicious cycle,'' Fortmann said. ``People don't learn math very well in school, they avoid math while preparing to become grade-school teachers in college, and the cycle continues. What we're hoping to do here is break the cycle.''

Whenever our grade-school teacher would announce the arithmetic homework was a page of number-crunching problems, I'd groan along with the rest of the class.

But when she announced a page of word problems, the rest of the class would caterwaul, and I'd be relieved--there were so few of them on the page, and there was actually a reason to be interested in the problems.

I didn't actually learn that I was good at math--that math was really about the word problems I enjoyed much more than the number-crunch that I detested--until tenth grade.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

You'd get alarm from most too if an essay test was at hand vs a multiple guess test.

[Amelia]

But then, it really is hard to call them educators.

CW, I really wish you'd stop painting all of us with the same broad brush. (Yes, there are several of your fellow FReepers who are educators or spouses of educators.)

The curriculum for elementary education majors really needs to be strengthened, however. The course I took on 'teaching math in the elementary school' didn't go much (if any) beyond 6th grade math skills, and some of the prospective teachers had a hard time with it.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I'm sorry to bunch you all together but I do believe you a propping up a terrible public school system and the union that feeds on our children.

[NewHampshireDuo]

OK, here we have a 4th grade math teacher who's struggling with the curriculum. What's wrong here?

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I can't believe parents aren't marching on public schools with pitch forks and torches.

[FLAUSA]

Boys do better in math than girls. Most teachers are girls. What did we expect?

[xzins]

I don't think educators are the issue. I'm sure there'll be some benefit from having them take a few more how to teach classes and a few more math classes.

But, think about it.....does that really sound like it's gonna impact anything in a significant way?

If you've ever looked at an old McGuffy Reader or an old 6th grade graduation examination, it becomes clear that far more work was gotten from the students in days gone past.

Has the human creature changed since then? Are hearts shaped differently, are eyes in different places, are legs missing joints they used to have?

Since there's no difference in the human creature itself, then it must be something else that accounts for student's work output being far less.

I'm going to bet that teachers WANT to get more from students, but that they CANNOT get it no matter what they try. Why?

The family culture and the culture of the educational establishment BOTH prevent it is my guess.

[rockprof]

If you've ever looked at an old McGuffy Reader or an old 6th grade graduation examination, it becomes clear that far more work was gotten from the students in days gone past.

I saw an 8th-grade math book from the late 1800's once (one of my math-professor colleages had it) and I doubt most college students would be able to work the problems.