EducationNews.org

In a recent article posted on this site, George Leef of the Pope Center commented upon the state of math instruction in the U.S. The article can be found athttp://ednews.org/articles/28232/1/Ed-School-Math-Training-Does-Not-Compute/Page1.html . In this interview, George responds to some questions about certain specific concerns in the realm of math instruction.

1) How does the U.S. compare to other countries in terms of math instruction?

The mediocre results of American students on international math tests strongly suggests that teachers here are not as well prepared to teach the subject. It may also indicate that our educational environment is less demanding of the rigor and exactitude that math calls for.

2) Let's face it. To paraphrase a statement by Gavriel Solomon " t.v. watching is easy and math is hard". Does the American culture tend to dislike subjects that require attention, concentration, and dare I say it " frustration tolerance" and patience? Or is this all due to poor math instruction in the elementary grades?

Our culture no doubt plays a role here. Many students grow up with teachers who have been trained to think that feeling good is more important than getting correct answers. Some of the kids who grow up in that culture become teachers and are apt to convey a relaxed if not math-phobic impression to their students.

3) I believe there is some research that tends to show that math skills seem to decay or deteriorate without practice. Just as musicians need to continually practice, is math a skill that we need to review and refresh periodically?

Undoubtedly. At one time, long ago, I could prove the quadratic equation, but now I can barely remember it, much less what one does with it. That isn't a handicap for a middle-aged guy who works in a think tank, but for kids between, oh, 6 and 18, constant math work is very important. The more they do math, the more they will progress. That is why we want teachers who are competent in math themselves and know the best methods for presenting it to their students.

4) Has the " Saxon " math series been investigated or commented upon?  The " Saxon " math series seems to be one that either teachers love or hate- for whatever reason?

I have heard of discussion regarding the Saxon series, but don't have any views myself either pro or con. It seems to me, however, that if we don't have teachers who are really good at teaching math, we won't get the results we want no matter what books we use.

5) Let's talk about No Common Denominator: The Preparation of Elementary Teachers in Mathematics by America's Education Schools. Who wrote this report and what were some of the conclusions?

The report was written by Kate Walsh and Julie Greenberg of the National Council on Teacher Quality, based on the findings of NCTQ's Mathematics Advisory Group, a committee of eight distinguished mathematics educators. The key conclusion of the report is that most future elementary teachers are not given a solid grounding in mathematics and how to teach it in their education school work. (Of the 77 programs evaluated, only 10 were given a passing grade.) The study outlines an ideal education school preparation for aspiring teachers. It also recommends a testing regime to ensure that teachers entering the profession have a sufficient grasp of the subject that they can truly explain math to their students.

6) Are there some elementary teachers who really need to be focusing on teaching art, music, physical education, and perhaps not be teaching academics at all?

I certainly agree. We need to have a division of labor in education. Not every teacher needs to be ready to teach everything, but those who are expected to teach math should be good at it. If we have math-phobic teachers trying to teach it, their attitude is apt to rub off on the students.

7) Your colleague, George Cunningham has also been involved with the examination of the way in which colleges and universities train teachers to teach math. Have you two been collaborating on this topic? ( and I will be interviewing him to get his perspective on this problem!) What seem to be your common interests and concerns?

We have not collaborated except on the paper Professor Cunningham wrote for the Pope Center, which I edited. Our common concern is that the United States has entrusted a very important task – the training of teachers – to schools of education that are enthralled with very questionable educational theories. For the most part, schools have no choice but to hire teachers who have been through education school and therefore the education schools don't have a strong incentive to discover what really works. They don't bear the cost of being wrong. Just speaking for myself, I would like to see states change their laws to allow school officials to hire people who don't have teaching certificates but nevertheless show evidence that they would be good teachers. Having gone through education school is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for being a capable teacher.

8) As I write this, I am about to go to lunch and unless I have exact change, or a check book, or a debit card, I fear that I am going to waste some time with a cashier who does not know how to make change or who is mathematically deficient. Do businesses and restaurants need to make sure the people that they hire are mathematically competent?

It is a small inconvenience for a customer to have to wait until a cashier can figure out, perhaps with help, how much change should be given. I can imagine much more costly errors inside an industrial plant if a worker makes a mistake in figuring the correct amount of a chemical to add, for instance. And it's also true that people who are clueless in math are at a disadvantage in their own lives. Lots of decisions involve some basic math – "Is A a better deal than B? – but if you can't do the math, you're apt to make the wrong choice.

9) Your article mentioned five standards. What are these five standards and how did they come about?  Who developed these five standards?

The five standards I mentioned in my article on the NCTQ report refer to standards that the Mathematics Advisory Group believe are essential if we are to raise the competence of teachers in mathematics. First, aspiring elementary teachers must acquire a deep conceptual knowledge of the math they will teach; second, education schools need to raise entry standards, requiring candidates to demonstrate that they have at least a good understanding of high school math; third, teacher licensing should require applicants to demonstrate their mathematical understanding; fourth, education schools should coordinate math content courses with methods courses and give students many opportunities for practice teaching; and fifth, the job of teaching math content should be within the purview of the math department.

10) I think that currently we are facing a pretty serious teacher shortage…If we make entrance requirements more rigorous, are we going to be scaring prospective teachers away?

I have been seeing those stories about the impending teacher shortage for a long time and am skeptical about them, but let's assume them to be true for the sake of argument. Would it be better to raise standards for admission into education school, as has been advocated, and possibly frighten away some prospective teachers, or to keep the current standards and continue to have many students taught poorly in math?

I am strongly inclined to say that we should raise the standards. Teaching is a very desirable field and I suspect that most students who have difficulty with math would choose to take additional coursework so they could demonstrate sufficient competence in math – something like a bar review course, although not so time-consuming – rather than just giving up. But suppose that nevertheless we did exacerbate the teacher shortage; that would be a strong reason to do something that ought to be done anyway, namely to relax the licensing laws.

11) What question have I neglected to ask?

Which school has the best program for preparing teachers in mathematics? The report singles out the University of Georgia as having an "exemplary" program.

Published August 21, 2008