The Bulletin – Sharon Noguchi
“Hate math? Relax; it may not be about you. Fear of math represents not personal failure or a missing gene but wrongheaded “one-size-fits-all” ways of teaching. That, at least, is the theory behind a quiet revolution in math education incubated in the Bay Area that is exciting teachers even more than an elegant proof of the Pythagorean theorem. A vanguard of math instructors is embracing ideas developed by two Stanford professors to reform math instruction. Their approach includes more visual and creative exercises, discussions of ideas and procedures rather than a focus on memorization and speed, and individually tailored lessons. Mention to people that you teach math, David Foster of the Silicon Valley Mathematics Initiative said, and “to a person they launch into a horror story about high school math. The only mystery is if they blame the algebra teacher or the geometry teacher.” ‘Hard work and practice’ Foster, whose Morgan Hill-based organization offers training and resources for teachers, advocates a more positive approach to get kids to love learning.”(more)