Kritiek op nieuw leerplan wiskunde in Vancouver dat veel gelijkenissen vertoont met de visie die de Vlaamse katholieke onderwijskoepel
Kritiek op nieuw leerplan wiskunde in Vancouver dat veel gelijkenissen vertoont met de visie die de Vlaamse katholieke onderwijskoepel wil opdringen: zie document: 'Zin in wiskunde'
Math instruction gets failing grade under new B.C. school curriculum (Vancouver Sun) Kritiek op child-centred/inquiry/open-ended constructivist curriculum
Tara Houle is a critic of B.C. math curriculum [PNG Merlin Archive]
September 8, 2016 |
Centrale idee: Provincie Vancouver voerde een modieus wiskunde-leerplan waarvan al in het buitenland bewezen was dat het niet deugde. Another significant point about this new curriculum is that its not new or revolutionary; its just copying more failed educational fads. In every single country where this child-centred/inquiry/open-ended constructivist curricula has been tested, its failed. Every single time. The United Kingdom found out almost a decade ago that learning styles and personalized learning two phrases that feature prominently throughout B.C.s Education Plan are nothing more than failed myths. After producing students with abysmal reading, writing and arithmetic results, the U.K. ditched its failed, 21st-century curricula implemented in 2007 and returned to a more knowledge- and fact-based curricula two years ago. Ditto for Australia.
In Sweden, a haven for utopian living and happy children, it turns out its child-centred, holistic approach to education (which is strikingly similar to your new B.C. Education Plan) was a terrible mistake. It had devastating consequences on an entire generation. No other country in the PISA study experienced a steeper decline in student performance than Sweden (B.C.s performance also had a significant decline during this same time frame, producing its worst ever math result in 2012). Recently, Jonas Linderorth, one of Swedens pedagogy professors responsible for this fiasco, issued a heartfelt apology in a newspaper article: Recent research has suggested that the ideas greeted with such enthusiasm back then stand in almost direct contradiction to what constitutes successful teaching methods.
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Multiple requests to discuss the implications of years of poor math instruction in B.C. have been ignored by both the provincial ministry and the teachers federation, says parent and math advocate Tara Houle.
Multiple requests to discuss the implications of years of poor math instruction in B.C. have been ignored by both the provincial ministry and the teachers federation, says parent and math advocate Tara Houle. PNG Files
As our kids return to school, there are a couple things that every parent should know.
First, kids usually require outside support/tutoring for basic arithmetic by the age of 10, so start saving now.
Second, with the new K-9 curriculum (rolling out this fall), the need for outside tutoring will be even greater its that bad. Its ironic that this innovative plan claims it will prepare our kids for a bright future, yet it does so without implementing, or acknowledging, the successful methods that actually make learning possible.
Math has always been difficult, but its even harder today due to the convoluted ways its being taught. Even though it took thousands of years to develop successful, universal methods to teach arithmetic, the foundations of teaching this particular subject have now been relegated to the dustbin.
The longstanding use of the four standard algorithms to master the basic principles of arithmetic are gone. Memorizing times tables, using long division and making time for daily practice in the classroom, is virtually non-existent. Instead, kids are encouraged to explain and develop multiple ways to find the answer, confusing and frustrating them along the way. Fractional arithmetic is paramount to future success in mathematics, yet its not mandatory until Grade 8 in the new curriculum. This is creating massive panic for kids who are then being exposed to algebra in high school without fully mastering the fundamentals. And without a strong grasp of algebra, kids are denied the understanding of higher-order mathematics such as trigonometry and calculus.
Even more frustrating is the blatant disregard of thousands of teacher and parent concerns that our education partners in this province have demonstrated. Multiple requests to discuss the implications of years of poor math instruction in this province have been ignored by both the Ministry of Education and the B.C. Teachers Federation. When pressed to provide examples of encouraging our frontline teachers to utilize proven, conventional methods in the classroom, none have been given. In fact, the only teaching methods endorsed in the flurry of multiple teacher workshops, conferences and parent information sessions, are the new inquiry/discovery/21st-century methods. If you want your child to have a strong foundation of mathematics, youll have to pay for it at a tutoring centre. Two-tier public education in British Columbia is here, courtesy of your provincial government.
Another significant point about this new curriculum is that its not new or revolutionary; its just copying more failed educational fads. In every single country where this child-centred/inquiry/open-ended constructivist curricula has been tested, its failed. Every single time. The United Kingdom found out almost a decade ago that learning styles and personalized learning two phrases that feature prominently throughout B.C.s Education Plan are nothing more than failed myths. After producing students with abysmal reading, writing and arithmetic results, the U.K. ditched its failed, 21st-century curricula implemented in 2007 and returned to a more knowledge- and fact-based curricula two years ago. Ditto for Australia.
In Sweden, a haven for utopian living and happy children, it turns out its child-centred, holistic approach to education (which is strikingly similar to your new B.C. Education Plan) was a terrible mistake. It had devastating consequences on an entire generation. No other country in the PISA study experienced a steeper decline in student performance than Sweden (B.C.s performance also had a significant decline during this same time frame, producing its worst ever math result in 2012). Recently, Jonas Linderorth, one of Swedens pedagogy professors responsible for this fiasco, issued a heartfelt apology in a newspaper article: Recent research has suggested that the ideas greeted with such enthusiasm back then stand in almost direct contradiction to what constitutes successful teaching methods.
Linderorth now believes that the innovators from the 1990s who ushered in such sweeping changes including himself should publicly apologize for the damage they have done.
It turns out that guidance, strong curriculum guidelines and knowledgeable teachers are imperative for student success.
Being left with nothing more than this new, open-ended curriculum, I would encourage all parents to have a discussion with your childs teacher, principal and local MLA. Ensure successful math instruction is used in the classroom, and support teachers to use successful, straightforward methods to ensure our kids obtain a strong foundation in math. We owe our kids that much.
Tara Houle is a parent advocate and publisher of a provincial mathematics petition.
