Sliding student scores spark fresh calls to revisit how we're teaching math | CBC News
Canadian students’ math performance has been sluggish or falling in provincial and international assessments, with the trend beginning before the pandemic. Some experts say the results warrant a fresh look at how math is taught.
Kendra Corbett, a Grade 3 teacher in Orangeville, Ont., demonstrates addition step by step and checks students’ ideas. She says counting to 10 does not necessarily mean a child understands the quantity that number represents.
Mathematician and educator John Mighton argues that beginners need a different teaching approach from students who have already mastered a topic. He says instruction can focus too quickly on outcomes such as problem-solving, without first establishing the knowledge needed to reach them.
Mighton says stronger math understanding matters for decisions involving probability, science and risk, and is increasingly important as artificial intelligence grows. The article describes calls to give numeracy attention comparable to the focus on literacy; it does not identify specific policy changes or timelines.
Key points
- Math results have weakened, and the decline began before the pandemic.
- Teachers and experts stress building number sense before expecting advanced reasoning.
- Mighton says math skills help people assess risk and make informed decisions in an AI era.