Summary of "Battleground Schools" & Reflection

Mathematics Education is a very hotly debated issue in North America. On one side you have people who think that math should be taught in a strict teacher-proof way with clear objectives which entail fluency and lead towards easy-to-read results, such as multiple choice tests. This approach towards teaching math is referred to as "Conservative."

On the other hand you have people who support teaching with deep understanding of mathematical concepts as the ultimate and most important goal. This point of view towards teaching math is referred to as "Progressivist." Under the progressivist attitude, the teacher needs to become an expert in assessing student progress by diagnosing the student level of knowledge and skills. Progressivist argument also calls for the teacher to have strong background in mathematics, and in mathematics teaching and learning.

In the last century, mathematics education has passed through these points of view, and spending a little time in the middle. There are three periods: Progressivist, New Math, and the Math wars.

Around 1910 the progressivists answered to the then current way of teaching math of simply memorizing procedures and facts by calling for a deeper understanding of mathematics rather than a repetition of statements and the use of formulas to solve standard word problems.

In the 1960's the space race called for a reform in math education, since there was paranoia in the Western world, particularly in the United States, that the space race was being lost due to a lack of scientists. It was thought that mathematics programs in high schools were not keeping up with top research universities.The response to this problem became known as the New Math movement and it called for a reform of all math curriculum and even other subjects to make all students turn into prospective scientists, especially rocket scientists. The new curriculum included topics that neither teachers nor the parents of the students were familiar with. Hence many complications arose when it was tried to be implemented ata schools.

In the 1980's there was a tendency in the western countries to fight and break unions, including teacher unions. In an attempt from being left out of the drafting of curriculum in schools, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics created its own standards. In the mid-1990's there was a response to the NCTM standards and some people called for math to be taught in a more rigorous way and that results would be clearly measured by using standardized tests. This gave rise to the Math Wars over the NCTM Standards, and the polarization was further fueled by its media coverage.

The dispute of how to teach math has been taken over by political parties, the right versus the left facing each other on many fronts. To this day there is no end in sight for the animosity between both parties and there seems to be no desire from either part to come to an agreement.

Reflection

Having discussions about math is all together right, but when it gets personal, I think it loses any value. One has to keep focused on the important things, i.e. improving education, and not on the destruction of the enemy.

I personally consider myself a "progressivist" because I think I am more attracted towards understanding concepts and being creative when doing math. Math looks more attractive when one really appreciate the concepts, values the ideas brought up by mathematical exercises, and appreciate the beauty and elegance ingrained in mathematical thinking and its presentation.

I think that the "progressivist" is the more "ideal" approach towards math in the sense that it seems harder to follow and to measure student achievement. Therefore, in an age of massive production with a "need" for efficiency and easy-to-read measurements, rather than comprehension and quality of education, the progressivist approach is received with less than enthusiasm. Standardized tests are a logical solution for people who view school as an industrial machine so therefore want to readily compare achievement among students, schools, districts, states, and ultimately, nations to find out who is "superior." And their way to remedy educational issues usually involves changing the standards. This is a shame to me.