Not your father’s math curriculum

by Susan Hofforth

It seems that there has always been disagreement over the best way to teach and learn math. This year’s Math 30 diploma exam results in Whitecourt were not what they were hoped to be, leaving teachers, parents, students and administrators disappointed but optimistic that effort is being made to address the challenges, both locally and provincially.

“We can expect rollout of a new Alberta curriculum soon, as the timeline anticipates the rewrite to be completed by 2018,” said NGPS Assistant Superintendent Leslee Jodry.

There have been clarifications by the Provincial Government regarding the existing programs of study over the last few years, addressing the misconceptions regarding Discovery Math that was not working the way developers expected it to, and putting a greater emphasis on understanding the skills and the way that numbers work together. Students will have a greater opportunity to show their work and show that they have achieved knowledge of basic facts and number sense.

One of the problems, illuminated by Alberta Education’s recent Education opinion survey, shows that there is no common understanding of what the term “math basics” means, although everyone agrees that the basics must be taught. Nor did one specific teaching technique stand out as being the best one in people’s opinions.

It is clear that the curriculum needs some sort of review and change to give today’s children the correct skills for the increasingly-computer based careers that they can expect in the future, such as Robotics, app coding, and even truck driving. More emphasis on not using a calculator in class will be built into class work and exams. Students will demonstrate understanding, not just the right answer. There will be a section of the Grade 6 PAT exam where no calculators will be allowed, to show that students are prepared.

Numeracy is complex and a solid understanding of it is essential to a successful future life. “This foundation will give them a greater confidence in their own abilities,” said Jodry.  “They will build resilience in problem solving and critical thinking, which will in turn build a better understanding of how math interacts with the world.” Mental mathematics, such as estimating amounts, sense of magnitude, interpreting statistics, recognizing patterns, and using numbers in real-life situations is much more relevant to what graduates will need in the future.

The math curriculum will have a clean flow from grade one to grade twelve, so that students can learn to figure things out, rather than simply get the answer. “We can do this better,” said Jodry, “Confidence in developing numeracy skills is a focus. Numeracy is as important as literacy when it comes to understanding the world.”

“Whitecourt is not being left behind,” Jodry assures. “People need not worry that math is moving away from explicit instruction to emphasize connection and emotion. Teachers are still teaching mathematics. It is more complex than just having to address points in the Programs of Study, as teachers are also responsible for programming to meet the needs of their students.” There will be targeted professional development opportunities for teachers both provincially and divisionally. There are two NGPS teachers on the Mathematics Curriculum Working Group who are committed to the six-year provincial plan for curriculum development that began during 2016-2017 school year, she said.