How To Go Back To The Basics Of Math

Mathematics education has undergone many changes over the last several years. Some of these changes include the key concepts all students must master and how they are taught. According to Jacob Vigdor, the concerns about students’ math achievements have always been apparent. A few reasons that are negatively impacting the productivity of students’ math achievements are historical events that influenced mathematics, how math is being taught, and differentiation of curriculum.

Basics. Many people in the United States believe that the most important aspect in raising the overall math achievement rates is going back to the basics. I agree with this viewpoint. Before the Space Race occurred, teachers focused on the basic fundamentals of mathematics.

The pressure endured by teachers and school districts resulted in teachers “teaching to the test”. Teaching to the test became very noticeable and common when No Child Left Behind was established. When a teacher takes this approach in teaching students mathematics, the students are required to learn quickly (because there is a lot of information to be learned), and as a result of learning quickly, they often find themselves wondering how they arrived at the correct answer. Mathematics can always be explained why they work. If students can make sense of what they are doing, and not just memorize the procedure, they will enjoy the content they are studying and develop an appreciation for it. In return, more students will want to pursue math careers because they know that math can be used to solve problems they may be curious about.

A possible solution to this recent problem is the necessary approach taken by the teacher. Teachers should not only focus on what should be taught, but how the concept is taught. Colleges and universities are to be blamed for the teachers not knowing how to teach a

Every child is unique in many ways, such as the way they learn, personality, and hobbies. All students learn at a different rate and different teaching methods make sense to certain students. Expecting all students to master a given subject at a given grade level is ridiculous. It is important that all students know the fundamentals of math and why they work, but it is necessary to allow for some differences in the courses taken to accomplish these goals. In the past, students were often tracked based on their career aspirations or ability levels. Today, all students are expected to master the material needed to enter a four-year college. This has forced teachers to differentiate less, “dumb-down” the curriculum for high achieving students, and cause much frustration for struggling students. Differentiating curriculum will enable students to act on their curiosities in areas that interest them. In the end, all students will be more successful in the careers they