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An Apparent Paradox
This University Affairs article is interesting in that it offers more evidence that Ontario high school graduates are more and more poorly prepared for university. The author believes that there was an abrupt change (for the worse) about five years previously. He goes on to offer six possible explanations: changes to the curriculum; the introduction of standardized testing; the elimination of grade 13; grade inflation; the popularity of video games; and Internet reliance.
It’s hard to understand how any of these explanations could have caused an abrupt change five years before, given that they had all occurred more than ten years previously. The author thinks that “the rapid decline in performance over the last five years has its roots in the teaching at the elementary level” and assigns primary blame to the changes to the curriculum and the introduction of standardized testing. He believes that the new curriculum is a mile wide and an inch deep, such that teachers don’t have time to teach conceptual understanding and analytical skills. Furthermore, the provincial tests induce teachers to focus on teaching students to memorize formulae and other similar strategies.
School for Thought is not convinced that these explanations are accurate. In fact, we have noted a very strong emphasis on higher-order skills, both in the revised Ontario curriculum and in the provincial tests. We wonder whether there is not TOO MUCH emphasis on conceptual understanding, and not enough on basic skills, in elementary classrooms. As this American Federation of Teachers article, Basic Skills Versus Conceptual Understanding: A bogus dichotomy in mathematics education, explains, “the precision and fluency in the execution of the skills are the requisite vehicles to convey the conceptual understanding. There is not ‘conceptual understanding’ and ‘problem-solving skill’ on the one hand and ‘basic skills’ on the other. Nor can one acquire the former without the latter.”
School for Thought suggests that the decline in university entrants’ conceptual understanding and analytical ability may - ironically - have its roots in an increased emphasis on conceptual understanding and analytical ability in elementary classrooms.
Yes, the decline in conceptual understanding and analytical ability is rooted in elementary school. There is not enough emphasis on the basics.
The funny thing about math, is one can do any advance math, providing their have a solid grounding of what I call the arithmetic facts. Schools do not spend any time on the basics. What is common, are the drill sheets that are sent home for extra practice. The drill sheets are seen as separate from the concept. There is no connections being made connected the drill sheet to the concept that is being understood. As a result, kids are memorizing, instead of obtaining an understanding.
My daughter did not do well in that kind of instruction. She needed to understand the hows, before she could understand the whys. In today’s math classes, the whys of the concept is explain first, and the how does not matter much. Kids like my daughter, or for most kids, it is confusing and can lead to a hatred of math. Kids need to be taught the how first, than understanding comes with making the connection of the whys.
No one would be having a problem with math, if the how is explain first, than the practice and than the whys.
As for the possible explanations that is listed, only one should be considered, and that is curriculum changes. I just heard that the high school math course is being watered down, with the elimination of trig concepts, some algebra concepts, and as well as geometry concepts. The emphasis is making math fun, and concentrating on group activities. As my daughter reported to me, she thanking her lucky stars, she does not have to deal with the new math course. Her final comment to me, how on earth to do you figure out an algebra expression by cutting out pieces of paper? I have no idea either, but I do think learning the basics, one can skipped cutting out pieces of papers.