There is no question that the need to improve American students’ math scores has garnered much attention on a national level. U.S. Education officials have been pushing reform for years now. We simply aren’t going to be able to compete with our global competitors in knowledge-based fields if we continue to fall short in math and science. So what can we do?

Set high expectations

According to the College Readiness report by ACT, students who take the recommended core curriculum for high school including three years of math achieve higher ACT scores than those who don’t, regardless of socio-economic background, race and gender.¹

But expectations for students to take and succeed at high level math and science courses in high school must be balanced by preparing them well in early years to do just this.

Our expectations for students to succeed at high levels of math and science need to be rooted in deep learning early on and continued support throughout the years, rather than pushing high level curriculum down the pipeline to earlier grades.

Provide ample challenging opportunities

We need to help students learn to embrace challenge early on in their mathematical studies and develop critical thinking road maps for problem solving.

As a nation, continued PR and media campaigns promoting role models in math and science innovation can add to a shift in the mindset of young students. NOVA has a fantastic series called The Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers that aims to inspire more youth to pursue STEM careers by profiling STEM professionals who lead less than ordinary lives.

Debunk the “I’m not good at math” myth

If we begin to teach math in a way that rewards students for their time and effort, rather than simply on a right or wrong answer, we can nurture a mindset where they aren’t afraid of a challenge and take the time to figure it out.

Part of the challenge lies in helping students see that their math skills are not fixed, and that with effort they can improve with the help of a consistent educator or mentor working along side a student, helping him or her build on previous skills, and witness growth in process.

Adopt practices that are getting great results

What seems to work the best is when students learn math in a logical, consistent manner, mastering number facts and arithmetic, while being given the opportunity, once such mastery is achieved to explore conceptual problems and more challenging abstract applications of mathematical concepts. To do this successfully requires teachers adept at teaching math in both of these modes.

If we improve the math education for teachers in training and reduce their anxiety toward math, they’ll be better prepared to help students develop math as a strength skill rather than a liability.

Last of all, a simple but strategic practice for improving student math performance is to teach students strategies for working with their math textbooks.

Make Use of Technology

From Khan Academy videos, to online tutorial programs, to flipped classrooms, technology can be leveraged today to improve students’ math performance

Promote Positive Attitudes for Students

An additional insight offered by the TIMSS and PIRLS International Study Center is that students from around the world do better in math if they maintain a positive attitude about the subject.²

Do you have any other strategies for improving math skills? Please share in the comments.  Stay tuned for more math themed blogs this week!

_____________________________________________________________________________

^{1 “}Benefits of a High School Core Curriculum” College Readiness, 2006, ACT. http://www.act.org/research/policymakers/pdf/core_curriculum.pdf 

² “Parental Expectations and Academic Achievement” Julie Grossman, Megan Kun-McKearin, William Strein, 2011. http://www.education.umd.edu/Academics/Faculty/Bios/facData/CHSE/strein/ParentalExpectationsAndAcademicAchievement.pdf

As a result of lost manufacturing and outsource jobs, the U.S. needs to look to the future—to new opportunities and growing markets to be able to compete globally, and all indicators point to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields.

According to research compiled by the Joint Economic Committee Chairman’s Staff in their report, “STEM Education: Preparing for the Jobs of the Future,” technology innovations have fueled the American economy, with some studies crediting over half of our economic growth in the past fifty years coming from improved productivity resulting from innovation. And the trend seems to be continuing. The demand for workers with degrees in the STEM fields is rising and expected to increase according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

However, the U.S. is not producing enough graduates in the fields of math, engineering, computer science, and therefore creating a skill gap. Forbes Magazine published a list “10 Skills that will Get You Hired in 2013” and mathematics was sixth on the list. The need for understanding arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics and the corresponding applications was found in 6 out of the 10 most in-demand jobs now.

So why are we as a nation struggling to impact math achievement when we know what today’s and tomorrow’s economy will demand of future workers, and what an increase in math achievement will provide for all?

As a nation, we must first acknowledge and embrace the changing economy and the demands that will be placed on the next generation of workers. We must educate students and parents about the opportunities that await those who achieve in the fields of math and science, and get more children, especially girls and students of color, into these fields. We must honestly invest in K12 education, attracting teachers to the field who can not only teach math but help bridge the classroom to the real world applications. We must introduce legislation that emphasizes the need for math achievement, rewards the schools getting it right, and provides the financial means to make schools successful in these areas.  And finally, we must continue the fight to make higher education accessible to students.

The ability to write well is meant to evolve naturally from a few simple sentences on a first-grader’s notebook to the polished draft of a senior paper, and when it does the entire school experience tends to proceed naturally as well. In the workforce, good writing is the hallmark of a professional that can express himself clearly and display one’s company/product in an attractive way. This has only become more true in today’s world, where email, text messaging, and social media have taken over many of the communications that used to be performed by phone or in person.

In fact, the changing role of writing in the world today has many teachers wondering how they should adapt their teaching to make it more relevant to today’s writing needs, personally and professionally. Susan Lucille Davis, a writing teacher with over 30 years of experience, expresses this question in her blog, “Teaching Authentic Writing in a Socially Mediated World,” but admits that she herself doesn’t have the whole answer. She and many of her colleagues agree, however, that the answer would need to address and prove relevant towards improving writing in the following categories:

• Text messages to friends/colleagues.
• Captions for photos that express important information.
• Questions that probe and dig for what matters.
• Status updates that share a mood or point of view.
• Comments on interactive websites that continue the conversation.
• Product reviews that are convincing and detailed.
• Emails written with the appropriate tone and length.
• Collaborative documentation online, which requires more than simply dividing the work.
• Tweets that add valuable insight to an online conversation.
• Blogs that allow ideas and information to percolate over time.
• Citizen journalism that is current and relevant.
• Storyboards and scripts for the many different types of videos being made today.
• Proposals to make, do, or change something.
• Process analyses that help examine the way things work.
• Syntheses that help organize disparate resources and media.
• Reflections that share transparently and probe thoughtfully.

This rather daunting list points out a clear gap between traditional writing education and the evolution of writing needs in the world today. At the same time, it makes clear just how important writing skills have become in a world where every individual is a user and a maker, a consumer and a producer. The role of writing has expanded to the point where there’s hardly a place left in American society for someone who isn’t fluent in text.

Recent statistics support this idea. According to various studies cited by Gene A. Budig in his article, “Studies Show the Importance of Writing Skills,” 8 out of 10 parents believe writing is more important now than it was 20 years ago. 86% of teens believe that good writing predicts future success, and 82% express a wish to write better and for teachers to address the topic more in their classrooms. The highest percentage of teens who believed this came from minority and low-income groups.

We don’t need a study to know trends in technology have expanded the role writing plays in our lives. People of all demographics and ages text, instant message, and email every day — many times a day. We’ve hung up on using verbal communication, and turned to the more convenient, efficient, and, arguably, most unsocial mode of communication: writing.

That doesn’t mean we are all better writers for it. We’ve seen the birth of textlish, like LOL, BRB, YOLO, which has become so standard in the English language that it crossed over into verbal communication. Twenty-first century writers come with autocorrect, which knows what you want to say faster than you can type it (sometimes). Social media has unveiled our friends that don’t know the difference between there, their, and they’re. Writing may be more prominent in our daily tasks, but it doesn’t mean the art and craft of writing, critical thinking, grammar or self reflection has become more prominent with it.

This Saturday, my oldest nephew, Carson, graduates from college. Twenty-eight years ago to the day, I graduated from the same university. As I think about the last twenty-eight years, I realize how many things have changed and how many ways life has improved, despite our challenges.

On the challenging front, the world has become less safe. Terrorists have threatened our liberties and the nature of airline travel has changed forever. Many schools which were once safe havens have advanced security systems and students who are trained in how to respond in the face of an attack. Cars, cigarettes and fast food are now prevalent in countries where people used to bike, eat healthy and have low rates of heart disease and diabetes. Even here in America, we have high levels of childhood obesity and diabetes. Young adults today have gone to college in a recession and they are required to be creative, resilient and resourceful.

On the side of opportunity, the world is connected with  cell phones, iPads and iPods and the internet. People are learning across borders and boundaries like they never have before; technology is allowing the poorest people from the most remote provinces the same chance to learn as the people from the wealthiest gated community. Countries like India and China have emerged from poverty and strife into thriving, standard setting models of learning, technology and business. Electric cars and wind-powered turbines are helping us to think differently about electricity, sustainability and energy. Ingenuity is alive and well, fostered by difficult economic conditions. We’ve made huge strides in AIDs research and treatments and some types of cancer though we are still struggling with many other diseases.

What will my nephew look back on in 2040 when he has been out of college for twenty-eight years? How many advances in science, technology and medicine will students graduating today create? Who will be the next Steve Jobs? The next Bill Gates? The next Mark Zuckerburg? The next Ariana Huffington? The next Oprah? The next Hillary? What ideas will define the next several decades? Which ideas will have the impact of an iPhone, a PlayStation, Xbox, YouTube, LinkedIn?

Certainly  nanotechnology, more energy and fuel efficient ways of living, education for all, an end to poverty, a peaceful way to negotiate legal and business issues across cultures and borders, a stronger connection with and awareness of people from around the world, a fierce commitment to solving some of the world’s biggest problems and innovating in the most unexpected ways.

Most of all, if my nephew and his friends are any indication, I will hold that this year’s graduating college class will have the spirit and the wherewithal to make the most out of themselves, tackle the world’s most pressing problems and make the world a more healthy, imaginative, generous and safe place through their dignity, courage, tenacity and decency.

The phrase “education reform” doesn’t usually conjure positive feelings, however, emerging research can make thinking about the new possibilities exciting. We live in a time of fundamental change with research that should influence the decisions we make on how to move away from the past and move forward into the future. Neurological research is one area that is taking us beyond simply teaching and learning and showing us the how behind teaching and learning to develop the most effective practices.

Last week, a study found children who get anxiety from doing a math problem have brain functions that differ from those who don’t have anxiety, according to the article “Study: MRI Reveals Brain Function Differs in Math-Phobic Children.” Using functional MRI (fMRI) scans, researchers performed scans on 46 second-and third-grade students while they carried out addition and subtraction problems, finding children with high math anxiety are neurobiologically similar to those who suffer from other phobias. The lead researcher commented that it is possible for someone with a math phobia to be good at math, but unless the student is helped through their phobia, they most likely won’t challenge themselves in math classes and become deficient.

Neurologist and teacher, Judy Willis, recently wrote the Edutopia article “Neuroscience and the Bilingual Brain,” where she explains bilingual children, compared to monolingual children, “develop greater attention focus, distraction resistance, decision-making judgment and responsiveness to feedback.” Research from fMRI scans shows bilinguals have stronger executive functions  most commonly thought to be formed by the need to “select” which language to use in a situation. This study could be used to influence both monolingual and bilingual homes to teach young children a second language, as well as influence elementary schools to include foreign language studies.

It doesn’t take an MRI to notice today’s kids can pick up on technology faster than the generation before them. However, scientists are using cognomics, a digital analysis of the brain, to take a look inside and see that technology is changing the neural pathways to process information, according to Karen Boyes in the article “The 21st Century Brain.” Changing neural pathways didn’t begin in the 21st century brain. Today’s students’ parents learned differently than their parents, and their parents differently from theirs, and on, and on. How can teachers use this information to their benefit? They must update their teaching style to reflect their pupils. “It is your responsibility to give them the skills for the future and equip them for the 21st century by teaching, alongside the regular curriculum, thinking skills, habits of mind, team skills and communication skills,” says Boyes.

We know technology has changed how we receive and process information, but technology has also afforded us to take a look inside and learn how to learn. How do you use new research on brain functioning to influence your lessons?

In yesterday’s blog, I quoted stats from the article “How Corporations Are Helping to Solve the Education Crisis” that show 80% of the jobs created over the next decade will require mastery of technology, math, and science. More jobs are welcome in our economy, however, there is worry that there won’t be a skilled enough workforce to takeover these jobs. Students’ mastery of STEM subjects is not as impressive as the growth of STEM jobs, and both educators and corporations have a responsibility to make sure students are receiving the education to benefit from the job creation.

In New York City, Scott Schawaitzberg, vice president of Activate, is working with a team to build a new kind of high school. The Academy for Software Engineering will be a public, 9-12 grade school that serves 500 students. The school hopes to teach the “art and science of coding” to students who might not otherwise consider a career as an engineer or financially have the opportunity to consider it, according to the article “Will Teaching Kids How to Write Software Help Fix Young America?” The school also hopes to connect students with technology companies through mentorships and internships.

Schools must adjust to the changing economy, but not all of them have the ability to start from the ground up like the Academy of Software Engineering. Schools in Baltimore are responding to the demands of STEM education with a holistic after-school approach. Volunteer technologists train teachers in new technology and the teacher’s gain professional development. Those teachers then teach the new tech skills to students in an after-school program. Then, students go to another school, as the trained technologist, and train a new group of teachers, according to “Closing the Loop Between Students, Teachers, and Technologists.” This approach creates community, gives students real-world experience in a tech field, and creates an opportunity for teachers to learn the tech skills they will undoubtedly need in their teaching career.

If your school doesn’t offer a programming class, there is free programming software available for kids, like Scratch. Tina Barseghian of Mind/Shift has a great article “How Do We Prepare Our Children for What’s Next?” that details the benefits of teaching programming and other practices educators or parents can introduce to their kids.

What are your favorite low-or no-budget tech tools to use in class or home?  What learning can complement tech tools and interests?  LifeBound’s book CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING is available on the Nook, the Kindle and soon to be on the iPad.  How can you promote complimentary skills which will enhance learning technology and other cross-curricular core competencies with your children or your students?

One-quarter of high school students drop out every year. Of the students who do graduate, two-fifths leave underprepared for college or career and fifty-seven percent leave not having mastered remedial math, according to a recent Fast Company article.  These statistics are tragic, but anymore, they aren’t shocking. Today, there is a fight for better institutions, educators, leaders, technology, funding, parents, and students. The article goes on to share some statistics that show why the fight is more important than ever.

According to the National Science Foundation, it’s predicted that 80% of the jobs created over the next decade will demand mastery of technology, math, or science. To put this growth in perspective, consider how technology has taken over in the past 10 years. Have you been to a job interview where your computational skills were below what the position required? Over the past 10 years,  the amount of STEM jobs has grown three times greater than non-STEM jobs…and it’s not stopping.

Making STEM education available to students to prepare them for the jobs of the future is easier said than done. Low-income students in Florida are facing a problem that might never cross the minds of their more affluent peers. The students have personal devices, like smartphones, and the school has provided each student with an e-Reader. The problem is that they can’t afford Internet access to use their devices, according to the recent article “Many Low-Income Students Struggle with Lack of Internet at Home,”

Students in California recently raised money to travel to San Francisco and stand up for their technological rights at the Digital Media and Learning conference. In a Mind/Shift article, Tina Barseghian writes, the students made it clear to their listeners: “We demand access to the same technology that privileged students have in order to survive in the working world, to compete in any meaningful way, and to amplify our voices.”

For many school districts, providing outdated or limited technology is not a choice; it’s a result of not having the funding to improve their programs. For many corporations afraid of an innovation crisis, the outdated STEM education students are getting isn’t going to cut it in when today’s students become tomorrow’s workforce. That’s why corporations like Microsoft, Intel, Cisco, Target, AT&T, and more are making an investment in their future by donating any where between multimillions to billions of dollars to schools.

However, giving school more money still isn’t the whole answer. “There’s this tendency to think that we can throw money at the problem and fix it. That’s simply not true. We need capacity building–companies sharing their unique resources in order to fill critical gaps,” says Sandi Everlove, interim CEO at a STEM nonprofit.

What could schools do to show big corporations the demands they have? What guidance can be given to corporations to ensure this opportunity to fund STEM programs actually helps today’s students?  How can people from various positions come to the table–professors, K-12 administrators, content providers, politicians,business people, not-for-profit leaders and educational visionaries–to chart the course for our most disadvantaged and  least championed students, teachers and parents in our society?  How can we think as differently about education as Steve Jobs did about computing?  How can we impact this urgent matter today?

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Sources:

“How Corporations Are Helping to Solve the Education Crisis,” by Judah Schiller and Christine Arena. 23 March 2012. Fast Company, Accessed on 23 March 2012. http://www.fastcoexist.com/1679529/how-corporations-are-helping-to-solve-the-education-crisis

“Many Low-Income Students Struggle with Lack of Internet at Home,” by Walter Pacheco. 18 March 2012. Orlando Sentinel. Accessed on 23 March 2012. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-03-18/business/os-students-without-internet-access-20120318_1_internet-access-digital-textbooks-school-districts

Students Demand the Right to use Technology in Schools,” By Tina Barseghian. 6 March 2012. Mind/Shift. Accessed on 23 March 2012. http://mindshift.kqed.org/2012/03/students-demand-the-right-to-use-technology-in-schools/  

Some schools choose to ban technology, saying it’s not that complicated and kids will learn it later. Other classrooms fully embrace technology to open windows to new worlds, including their own. But for many schools, financial restraints make the choice for them. Recently a group of inner-city students from Los Angeles who were fated with a technology depleted school decided instead of accepting their circumstances, they should set out to to start a revolution and change them, according to the Mind/Shift article “Students Demand the Right to Use Technology in Schools.”

Students from five inner-city schools in Los Angeles recently traveled to the Digital Media and Learning conference held in San Francisco with the money they raised on Kickstarter. They came holding their cell phones, tablets, and video cameras demanding the same opportunities afforded to their more affluent peers. One of their spokeswomen, Myquesha Moore, listed some of the following greivances:

• Students shouldn’t have to go off school grounds to find a working computer to do their homework on.
• A lack of technology in the classroom makes students part of a “permanent underclass.”
• “Give us the resources we need. Because there are children like me who give a damn about our future.”

The students researched the presence of technology, or lack thereof, at their schools using their personal smartphones, tablets, laptops, and cameras and presented their conclusions at the conference. At Crenshaw High, students found:

• 10 out of 14 computers worked, 2 are new, and three can print.
• 10 out of 30 laptops can access the Internet.
• 90% of computers operate on Windows 2001.

Students are not allowed to use their own technology in the classroom, but they also aren’t given acceptable pieces of technology to use in their place. These kids ask: “Doesn’t it make sense to use the tools that engage us the most? How are we supposed to use technology responsibly if we don’t use it at all? Why aren’t schools creating culturally relevant curriculum?”  Why do publishers still have largely text based technology?