Top 5 Truths of Mathematics Education

On November 17th, the MA DESE will vote on whether or not to continue with MCAS or switch to using PARCC. The vote brings with it a tremendous amount of concern from teachers, administrators, students, and parents. We are in the midst of a contentious  educational climate in the US with all parties weighing in heavily on opinions about the Common Core. While this decision will have significant impact on the educational system in MA, regardless of the outcome, we need to keep our sights on what we know to be true about education and learning.

So, here are the top 5 things I know to be true about the learning of mathematics.

1. All students are deserving of highly engaging and challenging instruction. The graphic below referring to a growth mindset from You Cubed says it well:

2. Mathematics as a subjectis a creative endeavor in problem solving, where learners have the opportunity to work collaboratively to think about complex problems, determine solution pathways, and share and defend their results. It would be helpful to think of the math classroom a bit more like the language arts classroom as described in this blog by Marilyn Burns.

3. Students must DO THE MATH engaging in productive struggle. Well intentioned educators and textbooks must learn to let go of the idea that we are helping students when we walk them through a problem.In the book Playing with Math, the authorswrite of teachers learning to become invisible.

4. Teachers of mathematics must truly know and understand mathematicsand mathematics instruction. Textbooks can not replace the day to day impact a teacher has on a child's learning.“Teachers must be the primary driving force behind change. They are best positioned to understand the problems that students face and to generate possible solutions. School learning will not improve markedly unless we give teachers the opportunity and support they need to advance their craft by increasing the effectiveness of the methods they use. ” The Teaching Gap, Stigler and Hiebert.And, so we must support our teachers.

5. It is an honor and a privilege to be a teacher. Advice from professor Cookson to his new teachers,"Each year we are given an amazing opportunity to work with children as they enter into the adventure of leaning. Teaching is unlike any other profession because leaning is a continuously creative activity that has at its heart relationships that matter for a lifetime. Your relationship with your students and with yourself is the fundamental foundation of all that will happen in the coming year. You are the instrument of your own professional development. If you fully embrace the possibilities of growth, you'll never fail your students and you'll grow into a great teacher."

So ....while I wonder about the decision from the state, and I appreciate the impact that it will have on curriculum and instruction, I forge ahead realizing that the future of my students is still in my hands. One middle school teacher, Jessica Hiltabide, says it well, "You must realize that you have the power to create change for your students. So much of education reform is done to teachers and students. This (Common Core) is a change that can be done by teachers. By equipping yourself with the tools to engage, challenge, and enrich students' learning experiences, you can transform schools into laboratories in which students learn to successfully investigate, discover, and solve problems."