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Thinking Freely Volume 2 Issue 1
Every Teacher is a Math Teacher
Mathematics is a part of all aspects of life. Much of foundational math is learned in the general classroom, not just in math classes or from math specialists. Yet many of the professional development math initiatives are specifically for the teachers who focus primarily on math and science. This is very important but only one part of the solution because Every School Teacher is a Math Teacher.
In order to have effective change in student achievement - all of the teachers at the elementary school level need to have strong critical thinking skills in mathematics and need to thoroughly understand the relationships between mathematical concepts. Unfortunately many school teachers are not confident in their math abilities and tend to avoid math. This translates into students who don’t have strong math fundamentals and who often believe that math is “hard".
So what is the solution?
Build the confidence of all school teachers by retraining them in foundational math content using a non-threatening, non-traditional, adult-oriented approach.
Focus on the relationships between math topics. Discrete topics are useful for assessing knowledge but not for teaching and understanding mathematics.
Help the teachers develop critical thinking skills so that they are better able to answer student questions.
