I liked this comment from the principal of PS 234, which is retaining Investigations Math:
The
school’s principal, Lisa Ripperger, emphasized that more important
than any individual program is support for the teachers. PS 234 has a
math and a literacy coach who work only with the teachers. “Nothing to
me in my budget is more important than my two full-time content
coaches,” she said. - See more at:
http://www.tribecatrib.com/content/ps-150-becomes-math-rebel-among-progressive-downtown-schools#sthash.DI1ob0tB.dpuf
The
school’s principal, Lisa Ripperger, emphasized that more important
than any individual program is support for the teachers. PS 234 has a
math and a literacy coach who work only with the teachers. “Nothing to
me in my budget is more important than my two full-time content
coaches,” she said. - See more at:
http://www.tribecatrib.com/content/ps-150-becomes-math-rebel-among-progressive-downtown-schools#sthash.DI1ob0tB.dpuf
The school's principal, Lisa Ripperger, emphasized that more important than any individual program is support for the teachers. PS 234 has a math and a literacy coach who work only with the teachers. "Nothing to me in my budget is more important than my two full-time content coaches," she said.How did we get to the point that elementary-school teachers can't teach basic math without the services of a full-time specialist? Either the teachers are incompetent or the curriculum is baffling. Or, even more frightening, both.
The
school’s principal, Lisa Ripperger, emphasized that more important
than any individual program is support for the teachers. PS 234 has a
math and a literacy coach who work only with the teachers. “Nothing to
me in my budget is more important than my two full-time content
coaches,” she said. - See more at:
http://www.tribecatrib.com/content/ps-150-becomes-math-rebel-among-progressive-downtown-schools#sthash.DI1ob0tB.dpuf
The
school’s principal, Lisa Ripperger, emphasized that more important
than any individual program is support for the teachers. PS 234 has a
math and a literacy coach who work only with the teachers. “Nothing to
me in my budget is more important than my two full-time content
coaches,” she said. - See more at:
http://www.tribecatrib.com/content/ps-150-becomes-math-rebel-among-progressive-downtown-schools#sthash.DI1ob0tB.dpuf
I'm sure I've said this before, but when I worked at a school that used Everyday Mathematics, the teacher often had to pull me aside and give me a quick tutorial before I could help the kids. And I don't think that curriculum was as convoluted as this one. I liked that it did seem to place more emphasis on theory, but I was always surprised by the lack of focus on memorizing addition/subtraction and multiplication/division facts. The kids were expected to know them, but there wasn't much classwork or even formal homework dedicated to that, so of course most kids didn't.
ReplyDelete"Cuts down on errors"? How does a 20-step process cut down on errors?
To clarify, the article says:
ReplyDelete"Proponents say the method [actually several different methods taught by Investigations] cuts down on errors that result from carrying and stacking numbers and provides support materials for teachers and parents."
This is crazy. As Unknown points out, the more steps you have, the more opportunities for error.
As for supporting teachers, if teachers don't come out of ed school prepared to teach elementary-level reading and math, there's something wrong with ed school. (OK, don't get me started.)
"The kids were expected to know them" -- so true. But nobody checks whether the kids actually know them, and brings the kids who don't know them up to speed. I have a bad feeling that Younger Daughter will be expected to know her times tables next year -- that's why we're working on them now.