Unfortunately, many elementary students in the United States do not receive adequate math instruction. Nearly a quarter of fourth graders, over 850,000 children in the U.S.4—roughly the entire population of San Francisco—lack basic math knowledge and skills, such as locating numbers on a number line or subtracting multidigit whole numbers.5
Improving math achievement for students starts with ensuring that their teachers have the knowledge and skills they need to teach effectively. There is a persistent misconception that anyone with a high school diploma has the requisite math knowledge to teach elementary math. In reality, teaching elementary math requires both a conceptual understanding of foundational mathematics and pedagogical knowledge of how to teach the concepts.6
Teachers need to know how to do more than just follow the steps in math to get the right answer. They need to know why those steps work. It’s like the difference between a basketball player and a coach. The player can follow directions and specialize in their role, but the coach needs to understand the bigger picture—the why behind every move. In other words, teachers need to deeply understand the math they want students to learn and must have the specialized knowledge of how to teach it, including recognizing and correcting student misconceptions.
Elementary teachers themselves report that they do not feel ready to provide strong math instruction. Many elementary teachers do not feel adequately well prepared to teach many areas of math.7 In fact, one in four elementary teachers reports feeling anxious doing math.8Teachers suffering from math anxiety have a negative impact on their students’ math outcomes.9 Providing aspiring teachers with strong preparation offers an antidote to math anxiety by helping them become the confident and competent math instructors students need.
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Notes and links on Singapore, Disovery and Connected math.
Math forum audio / video.
