One of the controversies in education that has been stirring (quite frenetically these days) is the choice between content and skills in the classroom setting. Partnership for 21st Century Skills is an organization that is a vocal advocate of process-oriented education, which is manifested in widely-used programs like Everyday Mathematics, and in today's model of differentiated instruction (emphasizing group work and alternative activities for students with different learning styles, activities which hardly constitute mastery of a topic).
As a newly minted educator, it is my impression that the modern educational landscape is riddled with group investigations that relegate the teacher to the role of a facilitator. Direct instruction is foregone in favor of activities which are designed to motivate students to learn, but the second part of this equation, the "learning" part, takes the backseat. Everyday Mathematics does not conceal the fact that they do not value mastery of standard mathematical algorithms. But you know what they do value? "Critical-thinking skills." Multiplication, division, adding fractions - it's important that kids experiment with them, participate in fun activities which vaguely model the content, but mastery - the academic establishment should not be making such dictatorial demands.
I make no bones about eschewing the workshop method of teaching mathematics. I responded to a poster that said "content just becomes a delivery mechanism for the skill." I agree wholeheartedly. Everyday Mathematics (I use Impact, the even more awkward older brother of EM) lays an emphasis on constructing meaning out of multiplication and applying problem-solving strategies (arrays, partial numbers). The times tables are treated as a means to an end, and in the end, I inherit a substantial amount of students who simply cannot multiply - not because they can’t, but because they were never given the opportunity to master this skill. The de-empahsis of facts has tossed the multiplcation tables to the wayside, treating them as an afterthought that is essentially thrown in to develop other nebulous problem-solving skills.
Diana Senechal responded to my post and made a very insightful remark which captured the thought that I previously could not verbalize - that by teaching content, we are actually cultivating the critical-thinking, problem solving, and communication skills we are aiming for. She asserted that "you could address all these skills through the study of Edgar Allen Poe’s, trigonometry, Supreme Court cases, three-part harmony, French irregular verbs." Believe it or not, you can teach content, and kids won't be all the dumber for it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment