92% in 4 to 5 in Algebra 1 - teacher attributes success to "old-fashioned" algebra

[Anonymous]

Wiley Bates Middle School in Annapolis is known for its performing and visual arts magnet program, but the school has now scored big points for how well students performed on the PARCC high school level Algebra one test.

"It's pretty much what I would say is the old-fashioned Algebra," teacher Kristi Giuliano said.

At Bates, 92.2 percent of students scored in the 4 and 5 category, with 5 being the very best and 4 considered meeting expectations. The school's Algebra 1 teacher said success is not accidental.

"I do a lot of redo assessments. They do daily quizzes. They appreciate that feedback and its skilled-based learning so that's what we do," math teacher Kristi Giuliano said.

http://www.wbaltv.com/education/maryland-district-specific-parcc-test-scores-released/36284126

Watch the video, she is actually WRITING on a white board as opposed it using a Promethian board to flash up problems and answers.

MCPS should take notice, this is how to get kids to do well in math. Go back to basic teaching!

[Anonymous]

Uh, you can write on a smart board too.

The structure of lessons and carefully selected problems/order/teaching methodology is far more important than technology.

I teach algebra with nothing but a whiteboard, but I'd love a smart board. I could put my notes online for kids to access when they are absent (frequent in a transient school like where I teach)

[Anonymous]

I am the OP, what I meant by actually writing on a whiteboard is my daughters teacher uses powerpoints to teach algebra, one problem is worked out on one page. Then they work in groups to solve one or two problems during the entire class period. I have an advanced math degree and when I show her how to work things out step by step it's like a light bulb moment. It's one light bulb moment after another one.

[Anonymous]

I am wondering what "old-fashioned algebra" is.

[Anonymous]

I don't teach math, but I tried daily quizzes (5 short items) in my AP class in MoCo 4 years ago and parents pitched a fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am wondering what "old-fashioned algebra" is.

I'm not exactly sure, but I think it means they didn't rely on subpar teachers who were recruited by their friends at the main office to draft a new curriculum that utilizes made up words and employs 29 steps instead of the most direct route to solving the problem. In short: it means the way all of us learned math prior to 2.0.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am wondering what "old-fashioned algebra" is.

I'm not exactly sure, but I think it means they didn't rely on subpar teachers who were recruited by their friends at the main office to draft a new curriculum that utilizes made up words and employs 29 steps instead of the most direct route to solving the problem. In short: it means the way all of us learned math prior to 2.0.

+1000 !!!!!

My child came home and said his teacher requested they ask their parents how two negative numbers multiplied form a positive product. I told him you just memorize it, you get into math theorems and proofs using properties and identities later. He said he was supposed to use "algebra tiles" I was like WTF are algebra tiles?

Me: "did the teacher explain what you were supposed to do",
Him: "no, I think she couldn't figure it out, we talked about it with partners and just got confused"

So all this crap to develop a :deeper understanding" just confuses the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't teach math, but I tried daily quizzes (5 short items) in my AP class in MoCo 4 years ago and parents pitched a fit.

I am so tired of teachers coming on here saying parents pitch a fit when they try to make their instruction more rigorous.

Grow a set already! Parents are pitching a fit about the crappy curriculum and you still teach that shit. Stand up to your administration and school system and say you need better tools just like we all have to do in our jobs every day to accomplish change.

[Anonymous]

Wiley Bates has about 1/3 of their kids taking Algebra in 8th. So about 30% of their kids are passing the test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am wondering what "old-fashioned algebra" is.

I'm not exactly sure, but I think it means they didn't rely on subpar teachers who were recruited by their friends at the main office to draft a new curriculum that utilizes made up words and employs 29 steps instead of the most direct route to solving the problem. In short: it means the way all of us learned math prior to 2.0.

No, that can't be what it means, because "the way all of us learned math prior to 2.0" only worked for a small percentage of us.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/27/magazine/why-do-americans-stink-at-math.html?_r=0

Any other ideas?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

+1000 !!!!!

My child came home and said his teacher requested they ask their parents how two negative numbers multiplied form a positive product. I told him you just memorize it, you get into math theorems and proofs using properties and identities later. He said he was supposed to use "algebra tiles" I was like WTF are algebra tiles?

Me: "did the teacher explain what you were supposed to do",
Him: "no, I think she couldn't figure it out, we talked about it with partners and just got confused"

So all this crap to develop a :deeper understanding" just confuses the kids.

"Don't ask why, kid. Just take it on faith that this is how it is." is not my personal philosophy for education.

Explanations:

https://www.math.toronto.edu/mathnet/questionCorner/minustimesaminus.html
http://mathforum.org/dr.math/faq/faq.negxneg.html
https://www.khanacademy.org/math/arithmetic/absolute-value/mult_div_negatives/v/why-a-negative-times-a-negative-is-a-positive

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wiley Bates has about 1/3 of their kids taking Algebra in 8th. So about 30% of their kids are passing the test.

PP again, the majority of their kids are taking Math 8 in 8th and about 1/2 of the kids in that class are failing. They have more kids getting 1 2 or 3 in Math 8 than they have passing Algebra.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am wondering what "old-fashioned algebra" is.

I'm not exactly sure, but I think it means they didn't rely on subpar teachers who were recruited by their friends at the main office to draft a new curriculum that utilizes made up words and employs 29 steps instead of the most direct route to solving the problem. In short: it means the way all of us learned math prior to 2.0.

No, that can't be what it means, because "the way all of us learned math prior to 2.0" only worked for a small percentage of us.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/27/magazine/why-do-americans-stink-at-math.html?_r=0

Any other ideas?

That misses the mark. Americans stink at lots of things because our education system is subpar compared to most civilized countries. Less hours in school.

And we are a giant melting pot. Compare us to any other country, and you'll quickly notice that we have huge differences in race and socioeconomic levels.

Let's talk about socioeconics: we have more than 40 million Americans living in abject poverty---that doesn't even include the many more millions living on the edge. Guess how difficult it is to pass tests and succeed in school when your housing is unstable, you are hungry, your parent is stressed out and unable to help you, etc.

Go ask any teacher in their 70s or 80s about American math, and they will remind you how the pendulum swings back and forth and the approach to teaching math shifts back and forth. This has been done before...it was called the new math decades ago. Heck, I remember learning the lattice method and thinking WTF in 7th grade!

Stats show that the traditional approach to math works for the majority of students; only those below average students struggle with it and might benefit from the allegedly deeper dive of 2.0...so why not limit it to those who can't handle the traditional approach?

PS - I always sucked at "letter math." Guess what? Graduated phi beta kappa and from law school with honors. Algebra is rather meaningless to the vast majority of us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Stats show that the traditional approach to math works for the majority of students; only those below average students struggle with it and might benefit from the allegedly deeper dive of 2.0...so why not limit it to those who can't handle the traditional approach?

Which statistics show that?

Also, what is the "traditional" approach to math?

[Anonymous]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_mathematics

Start here, pp.

I was subjected to the new math in 7th grade. We didn't learn anything. Our parents launched a mutiny, the teacher actually left the school, and we went back to the traditional approach. This was a private school in 1987.

Were you exposed to the new math as a child? Who remembers lattice?

Wise up: mcps diversified so rapidly in the last decade. This, coupled with lagging wages and increased housing costs has prompted a serious level of inequality---particularly among African Americans and Hispanics...who comprise the segment of the student population dragging down test scores. Mcps is anxious to close the achievement gap (which is a good thing), but their attention is misplaced. Dumbing down the curriculum and changing the grading system (Ps, doing away with exams) won't address the real problem.