TheApple

Greetings!

I was actually a part of the statewide committee in Ohio a few years ago that developed our current math standards.  We used the National Coucil for Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) standards as our basis.

In our state the standards were developed in my mind largely to drive a statewide system of standardized testing.  More recently we are finding that our standards are too broad and not nearly deep enough to do the job.  Rumor has it that they are forming new committees to condense our current standards.

Back to your questions:  I think some set of standards are necessary.  Without them I could have a student move to my school from another nnd have covered totally different concepts.  Everyone needs to have been taught the same thing at the same level for that consistency.

I have taught 30 years so that technology certainly has changed my methodology.  My latest classes of precalculus and AP calculus were transformed by the graphing calculator's capability.  Even our younger students use calculators much omre than in the past.  Mental math has been sacrificed and I do not like that.  There are trade offs.  I do still make my trig students memorize the unit circle, for whatever that is worth.

I hope we can get some other math teachers to respond.

Sorry,  I don't know much about Math standards since I am an English teacher. However, having just graduated from a standards based 4 year educational program I must tell you that the word "STANDARDS" is a yippee word in any resume, lesson plan, interview, and district.

As long as NCLB tests on state standards it seems we must continually be able to identify and teach them. As a younger teacher people have often told me that my knowledge of standards is a bonus in comparison to other teachers who taught pre-NCLB.

I think I have strayed from your question, but I hope I expressed the importance of standards in English and education as a whole.

My two cents (as another English teacher.)

Standards: Vital: Very Good; Standards based only/mainly on standardized testing: Bad

 but speaking of math (which was always my bête noire back in high school), two things that probably seem elementary to a math teacher, but which eluded me for ages:

1. addition, subtraction, multiplication, division: if you can do these four functions, you can do ANYTHING in math; that's ALL there is (I think.)

2. You HAVE TO teach/learn the vocabulary. Math has so many subject-specific words, and some of my teachers just seemed to assume we knew what they meant.

Yes, Mr. Hastings you are doing my homework   I needed to interview a teacher asking these questions. I had already interviewed a teacher and for my own benefit (I thought it was a good topic) I wanted to hear what other teachers felt on the matter. Thank you all for your responses. Mr. Hastings from your response about using the Lesh model you have caused me to research this model, because I am not familiar with it and it sounds like a good model. Thank you for your insight and experience!

Not really on the topic of the question, but I came across this site that may be of use to teachers who want to give parents homework to work with their children: http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/06/28/math-is-for-everyone-resources-for-quick-and-easy-family-centered-math-activities/