It is the hardest thing to sit and listen to people say things at a quickly concocted conference that are just not true. I listened yesterday to a tale of just such a case. Somewhere in the recent past some educator thought that it made common sense that there is so much reading to worded problems in math that good reading habits would lead to better math capabilities (and higher test scores since math capabilities would be enhanced). Like a fad, that thought has made the rounds among school districts. And like many thoughts that make the rounds, at some point educators take it as gospel even though there is really nothing but what seems like good sense backing the thought.
But the idea is a sham. It may seem counterintuitive at this point to those who have accepted this unsubstantiated idea, but the cognitive research says that math stands on its own as a skill at the very least. There is even a hint that math may even dictate ideas that would make for good reading skills. But the battle is uphill at this point because so many have swallowed bait and been reeled in. I want to weigh in on the side of solid research. I want to help stem the tide of such faulty reasoning on the part of so many educators. And, I want to blame those who should know better for not allowing the research of those in sciences that can inform education to surface and set the record straight.
I have seen this ploy before by the reading establishment. Two studies have come out condemning the way that reading is being taught. Those studies have not been allowed to see the light of day by many who teach reading or instruct districts in reading methods (and subsequently by district administrators who have been duped). Shame on them. The remedy is simple. Read the studies, understand the conclusions, trust the outcome. I want to join my very close friend who has remained in education working hard to change the world of mathematics... hopefully convincing others that long hand division and pages of written answers can be replaced through computers and calculators... and in the case at hand, hopefully bringing administrators to their senses that the symbol stream for reading is not an enhancer for the logic and symbol stream for math.
2 comments:
Say what! Education is subject to fads? Horrors. How can this be? Subject to fads sweeping through?
Since watching professional educational circles since the mid-seventies, all Education appears to be is a field of limber wheat subject to every fad sweeping across the windy plain. Sad. Realy sad. All that saves Education is that like the wheat it springs back up after the breeze dies down for a brief spell.
Unfortunately the breezes are years in length, so the reprieves are pretty far apart.
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