"We need to go back to direct instruction"

[Anonymous]

This piece is about dismal math education in New Zealand but it is exactly the same here. Inquiry based learning doesn't work and we are failing students. We need to go back to the sage on the stage, teachers teaching students.

https://educationhq.com/news/we-need-to-go-back-to-teacher-led-explicit-instruction-maths-expert-171647/

[Anonymous]

Bingo. Too late for mine…thanks to dismal MCPS curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Yep. Between Covid and then becoming a sub it was eye opening how little actual teaching the teachers do, vs. directing students to slides or schoology or youtube or whatever.

[Anonymous]

garbage math!

[Anonymous]

I’ve taught using an inquiry-based system, and I’ve taught using direct instruction. I’ve also tutored students needing remediation and taken course work on remediation strategies for students with specific learning disabilities.

For those who struggle, especially with number sense, there is no substitute for direct instruction with multi-sensory learning strategies.

But there are so also many students who don’t struggle and students who don’t get an adequate challenge from math classes. Those students do really well with inquiry-based learning. In fact, I’ve seen standardized testing scores that show how their quantitative reasoning shoots up under such programs.

There just isn’t one strategy or curriculum that is going to work for all students all the time. I wish we could go back to tracking students into separate math classes so as to better meet their individual needs.

[Anonymous]

I agree with OP. My DC can't get their nap in when they are forced to actually do work in school.

[Anonymous]

YES! I cannot wait for teachers to teach kids again. I am so sick of having to watch YouTube at home with my high schooler because she has no textbook and doesn't know anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve taught using an inquiry-based system, and I’ve taught using direct instruction. I’ve also tutored students needing remediation and taken course work on remediation strategies for students with specific learning disabilities.

For those who struggle, especially with number sense, there is no substitute for direct instruction with multi-sensory learning strategies.

But there are so also many students who don’t struggle and students who don’t get an adequate challenge from math classes. Those students do really well with inquiry-based learning. In fact, I’ve seen standardized testing scores that show how their quantitative reasoning shoots up under such programs.

There just isn’t one strategy or curriculum that is going to work for all students all the time. I wish we could go back to tracking students into separate math classes so as to better meet their individual needs.

The issue is you're using an inappropriate di curriculum for the kids who are doing well - DI should be teaching what the child doesn't know yet; if you don't adapt your teaching via formative assessment, then of course the child won't learn as much.

[Anonymous]

This has been known since the 60s: https://www.nifdi.org/what-is-di/project-follow-through.html

[Anonymous]

Yup.

Inquiry is great for the motivated and the curious. It’s great for kids reading and doing math at grade level.

That’s only 1 group of kids.

My rising 9th grader needs dumbed down direct instruction in math. I think engineering is out lol!

But he’s pretty good at everything else! That’s great. Stop trying to get everyone to calculus. Let kids focus on their strengths. And stop ignoring history!

[Anonymous]

Because then school would need to find teachers that can teach. Sure a number of good teachers exist but most of them coming out of school and heading into teaching are just glorified day care professionals.

[Anonymous]

The teachers don’t know how to teach well nowadays.

[Anonymous]

Teachers don’t teach this way by their choice. We have to do what our admin wants. If they want a flipped classroom, that’s what we have to do. I’ve gotten marked down on observations because I talked too much. I’ve always followed I do, we do, you do but some admin like to latch onto whatever fad comes along.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teachers don’t teach this way by their choice. We have to do what our admin wants. If they want a flipped classroom, that’s what we have to do. I’ve gotten marked down on observations because I talked too much. I’ve always followed I do, we do, you do but some admin like to latch onto whatever fad comes along.

+1

Admin requires it and now teacher prep programs train teachers in it. Those of us who know that direct instruction is valuable are considered old school dinosaurs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:YES! I cannot wait for teachers to teach kids again. I am so sick of having to watch YouTube at home with my high schooler because she has no textbook and doesn't know anything.

You can thank the County/state level for this....meeting meeting assess assess no time to teach and this is not on teachers. So if parents would start addressing the correct issues and people creating the issues~maybe something could change. Teachers can't do it all and that includes the fact that teachers can't be parenting kids all day dealing with ridiculous behaviors.