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Poster: DARING TO BE DIFFERENT USING INQUIRY TO TEACH MATHEMATICS
This message is in reply to:
- A query - Dean Fink
Posted by:
Gail Lane
Posted on: May 23, 2001 at 2:52 PM
Message:
From the beginning, the superintendents knew that funds would have to be provided to buy materials, such as Math Trailblazers kits, math mani-pulatives, etc. We kept insisting that the teachers could not use inquiry to teach math if they lacked the necessary materials. Most of the principals used textbook funds to purchase these expensive materials. They have done a good job because a lot of the teachers we work with have more materials to teach math than they ever had.
The answer to your 2nd question is "No." This approach to teaching math is only used in a few counties in North Carolina. The high stakes testing is the major thrust, and some teachers can get good test scores by drill and practice so this doesn't give them the incentive to change their approach to teaching math. We are seeing children, teachers, and administrators liking math better because it is fun.
We do not believe the standardized tests are a good way to test higher order learning approaches. We believe that performance tasks, open-ended tests,etc., would be a better way to assess understanding. Two of the counties we work with tested students 2 weeks ago, and their test scores are very good. In one county, 100% of the 4th graders passed the test. Also, the teachers in grades 3-5 (the testing grades) give assessments at the end of every unit. They are reporting that students are learning and understanding more difficult math concepts than ever before.
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