Times Are A Changing!

It is interesting to me how many times I have heard voiced over the last couple of years the following words:  “That’s not how I learned math!”  As a parent, I have said these words myself (many times).  I have heard other parents say them.  I have heard fellow students say them during discussions in my current math classes.  I have even heard other teachers say them, when I have been subbing at the local elementary school.  Something has changed about math.

Gone are the days…

Math has come a long way from the days when we just plunked a math book down in front of a student and taught them the one way to do their math problems!  Gone are the days when students sat at their desks for the whole math lesson and listened to the teacher impart knowledge (whether they got it or not).  The days when all students were expected to reach a solution to the problem in exactly the same way.  The days when if you didn’t get it, you had to conclude that you were just not good at math. 

That was me.  I always thought that I just really stank at math!  Hours of trying to memorize multiplication tables and days of being pulled in during recess to work on math when I was in elementary school only did one thing for me…it made me really hate math!  Now, I have to wonder if I had been shown more than one way of doing it, if it would have made a difference in how I viewed math. 

We aren’t all the same…

 Not all students are the same.  Not all students look at math in the same way.  Not all students learn the same way.  So, why would we expect them all to “get it” if we only show it to them in one way?    According to Howard Gardner there are Multiple Intelligences .  Students usually have an inclination towards learning based on which intelligence comes more naturally to them.  Here is a short video to describe the types of intelligences and how they impact learning.

What’s different?

Math has changed to focus on giving every student the opportunity to learn in a way that works for them.  Students are introduced to many different methods of solving problems and are able to choose a method that works well for them.  In addition, they are not just given the how but also focus on the why.  Math has become more interactive.  Students may be working in pairs or groups on problems.  They are using manipulatives to help them in problem solving.  They are using technology to help prepare them for their future. 

Here are a couple of articles about the changes that have taken place in math class:

How Has Math Changed Since You Were In School?
What Does Effective Mathematics Instruction Look Like?

Here is a slide show to help dispel some of the myths surrounding these changes.

Why Has Mathematics Instruction Changed? Myths & Facts
 
There are many things that are not done the same way anymore as when I first learned them.  This does not mean they are being done wrong today, just that they are being done differently or have advanced.  “This is not the way that I learned math!”  However, when I think about the strides that have been taken in technology and the greater resources available to teachers today, I have to wonder why we would ever expect math class not to change.