Time for a ceasefire: Technology and fresh ideas are
replacing classroom drill—and helping pupils to learn
Being competent in
mathematical skills is important for any real world job, from service to
management positions, and so this correlation makes sense. Technology, being
the current leading sector in the worlds growing economies, have given means to
new strategies to teach math in schools that better equip students for today’s
real world jobs, moving away from “drill” teaching and towards a problem-solving curriculum.
It is interesting
to look at the data shown in this article and relate it to a countries GDP.
With the exception of China, the countries with the lowest average PSI in math
scores in 2012 ranked higher in GDP in 2012. For example, The US had the lowest
PSI in math scores but ranked first in GDP (similar results with Britain and
Germany). America, during the American “math wars” of the 1980s, implemented
this new view on teaching math. This may show that the math curriculum used is
more important to prepare students for real world jobs than mastering “drill”-type
math problems. Conrad Wolfram’s argument that new technology makes rote
procedures, such as long division, obsolete. Therefore, a curriculum that caters
to today’s world which allows students to solve equations and visualize
mathematical functions is better preparation for real world situations. Estonia,
who ranked fourth in average PSI in math scores and 103rd in GDP in
2012, will start pilot lessons built around open-ended problems which have no
single solution. It will be interesting to see, if Estonia continues this
program, if their GDP rises in the future. I agree with Andreas Schleicher’s
point that it is still important that students master rote procedures for
problem solving and mental arithmetic. These foundational mathematical skills
are important to master so they can be applied to real world problem-solving. In
conclusion, this change in the educational system is beneficial only if
traditional practices are not lost with it.
Other sources: http://databank.worldbank.org/data/download/GDP.pdf
2 comments:
I think more practical training in schools will lead to an overall more successful society both economically and socially.
It will be very interesting to see if the United States will ever move up this list. It seems like our school systems are not catching on to the advancements made in other countries.
Post a Comment