While debates rage over how to teach math, kids aren’t learning and teachers are struggling. In spite of valiant efforts on the part of Washington educators, too many students are underperforming on the WASL, SAT and other national tests…

Teacher preparation in math education needs a new direction if we are to ready our children for the challenges of life in the new century. Students need to know how to solve problems using the conceptual framework of mathematics and scientific inquiry. They need math teachers who can show them how.

Leaders need to work together to solve three problems in order to produce enough qualified math teachers: the so-called math wars, math phobia and math teacher funding.

State curriculum leaders must step out of the paralyzing impasse of opposing philosophies about how to teach math. On one side are those who say students need basic math skills, including memorizing formulas and practicing drills. Their opponents say students need to understand the concepts underlying mathematical reasoning, an approach that emphasizes real-world story problems. Curriculum leaders must close the gap between memorizing an abstract mathematical formula and solving the same problem in a real setting. For students to learn math and be able to use it for their lives, they need both high-level skills and problem-solving knowledge learned in a hands-on setting…

Source: Seattle Post Intelligencer
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/328343_mathwars21.html