Nic's Math Blog

Let's talk about the proposed "math test" that teachers in Ontario may have to take in the future, whether they teach math or not. For those who don't know what I'm talking about, this article sums it up nicely. The whole purpose of the test is to improve student's math scores by ensuring that all teachers have a significant knowledge of the math skills they are teaching. On paper, this seems like a good idea, except for one glaring issue. The test is currently slated to be mandatory for all teachers, even those not teaching math. Obviously, teachers not teaching math shouldn't have to worry about taking a test designed to make sure they are able to teach math. A side note here; many teachers who are teaching math have math degrees, so testing their basic math skills seems a waste of time and resources as well. Overall, I'm in favour of doing whatever is necessary to help improve math skills in students, but I don't feel that this test as it is cur...

Lets talk about Ontario's new math curriculum. With the new government's focus on education, the math curriculum is getting a change based on what are perceived as low scores (whether those scores are truly indicative of true issues is a matter of debate currently). The previous curriculum, known as "Discovery Math" is being replaced with a more rote-learning version that many are calling "back to the basics" This new curriculum focuses more on standardized learning, including things like memorizing times-tables and similar rote-leaning methods. This is a direct reversal of the current curriculum. which focuses on a more inquiry-based method of learning. In my opinion, both systems have their merits and flaws. The standardized method is great for learning basic skills like multiplication and such, but falls short in things like word problems, where student would benefit from inquiry-based learning to figure out how to apply math in real world situations.The ...