Homeschool Math Blog

Dave Marain at MathNotations has conducted an online interview with Prof. Steen, one of the principal architects of the original NCTM Standards and one of the most highly respected voices in reform mathematics today. This is how Dave describes the interview: His replies to my questions are thoughtful, honest and provocative. Regardless of whether one agrees or disagrees with Prof. Steen's views, we need to open up this kind of dialog in order to end the Math Wars and move on in the best interests of our children. In this first part of the interview , prof. Steen talks about for example the incoherency of math standards in various states learning basic arithmetic facts.

Just sort of interesting: Can Less Equal More? - Proposal to teach math students fewer concepts in greater depth has divided Md. educators. Maryland currently has between 50 and 60 math objectives for each grade. "The State Department of Education is now meeting with math supervisors in each jurisdiction around the state to get a consensus on whether they should follow the Focal Points." If you remember, Curriculum Focal Points is a fairly new document released by the NCTM. It identifies three most important subject areas or 'focal points' for each grade. Note it idenfities ONLY THREE major objectives per grade. Contrast that to typical state math curriculum objectives list... (I don't think they mean that's the only mathematics content for each grade, just that those are the most important critical areas that teachers should put a lot of emphasis on.) Like I've said before, the focal points document is good reading for teachers and homeschoolers alike....

I'm going to talk again about the new report released by NCTM, Curriculum Focal Points. For each grade, it describes THREE focal points, and also explains to which other mathematical topics these focal points connect to. By familiarizing yourself with these few points, you can see the basics of school mathematics unfold before your eyes. Knowing the basic goals is essential for being a good teacher. By the way, these aren't the only things kids might study on a given grade. They are the focus areas. Many of the other topics would connect with these. Go look at the pics at textsavvy.blogspot.com about the way textbooks and programs typically present the topics, versus a "VISION OF CURRICULUM" laid out by the Focal Points document. On grade 1, the focus is on addition/subtraction : basic basic addition facts and related subtraction facts. Learning to add and subtract two-digit numbers. Understanding whole numbers in terms of tens and ones Composing and decomposing ...

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) has released a new report entitled " The Curriculum Focal Points ". It summarizes THREE focal points of math education for each grade, and also explains the major connections between those and other areas of math. I feel this document can be of enormous help to homeschoolers. If you've ever felt "lost" in the jungle of math standards, objectives, goals, and such, then this document is especially good for you. The teacher needs to know what the major goals are. Then, he/she can plan how to teach those topics, what tools to use, and so on. Without the goals clearly in one's mind, math instruction can become just mindless wandering from topic to topic. I'll probably write more about this report later, but for now, just head on over the NCTM site and read: The Curriculum Focal Points - the main page or Curriculum Focal Points by Grade .