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Mathematics is a fundamental aspect of life.  The foundation for math is learned in the general classroom, not just in math classes or from math specialists. However, many professional development math initiatives are specifically created for teachers who focus primarily on math and science. These initiatives are very important, but only a part of the overall solution.

 

At IDG, we believe that in order to have effective improvement in student achievement - all teachers at the elementary school level need to have strong critical thinking skills in mathematics and need to thoroughly understand  relationships between mathematical concepts. Unfortunately, many elementary school teachers lack confidence in their math abilities and tend to avoid math. This often translates into students who don’t have strong math fundamentals and often believe that math is “hard”.

So what is the solution? Build confidence in elementary school teachers by retraining them in foundational math content using a non-threatening, non-traditional, adult-oriented approach. Focus on the relationships between math topics. Discrete topics are useful for assessing knowledge but not for teaching and understanding mathematics.   Help teachers develop critical thinking skills so that they are better able to answer student questions. 

 

What else? Start with the basics – Arithmetic. All mathematics builds upon arithmetic. Sure we have all been taught arithmetic, but did we really understand it all? Do we understand two or more ways to approach any given problem? Can we explain the relationship between topics to a small child?   Do we really understand why we do what we do – other than to just get to an answer? 

 

By starting at the beginning with teachers, we can replace shaky foundations with solid ones. The key is utilizing a non-traditional approach – don’t re-teach information the same way that didn’t work the first time. It is also important not to be condescending – although many of the topics are “basic”, it is essential that teachers understand them completely. Incorporate math history, real world examples and personal experience to make topcics more relevant.

 

The Free Your Mathematical Mind Staff Development Program starts at the beginning and completely re-teaches foundational mathematics. It covers all topics required by the standards. However, they are not taught using a traditional discrete topic by discrete topic approach. Using inquiry-based techniques, the teachers discover patterns and relationships, broadening their critical thinking skills. In the end, teachers will know all of the discrete topics and so much more. 

 

The Free Your Mathematical Mind program must be taken in sequence since the lessons build upon one another and focus on the commonality among topics.