EMBRACING CHANGE: RETHINKING MATH INSTRUCTION IN THE DIGITAL AGE
“Alexa, what is 25 times 3?”
“Alexa, how many minutes are in 4 hours?”
“Alexa, how many years ago was 1983?”
These are the questions that my 8 year old son asks Alexa on a daily basis. He loves numbers and is curious about almost anything that has to do with numbers, dates, time, money, measurement, you name it! As a math specialist, you would think that I would want him to solve these problems on his own, and I do, sometimes. But I also want him to understand how to utilize the technology that is in front of him. How to use it in ways to make things more accessible and efficient for him. Just like I do.
In a world that is ever changing, moving faster than any of us can keep up with, education is stuck. Kids are bringing home projects and papers that look the same as what I did when I was in elementary school (25 years ago)! In classrooms kids use their iPads, but much of the time its only to access apps and games. If we want our children to be prepared for jobs that do not yet exist, we have to start changing the way in which we teach. Even if that is uncomfortable.
Math instruction, in particular, needs to change. Anyone can find the answer to anything they need instantly. Kids don’t need to just find answers, they need to be critical thinkers and problem solvers. They need to understand why an answer makes sense in the context that it is given to them. This is not something that they can just Google. In order for that to happen, instruction in the classroom needs to look different. Our teachers need to be given resources and learning opportunities that help them better understand how to instruct math differently.
Kids need to be engaged in conversations and debates. They need to be building models and drawing pictures to showcase their understanding of the problems that they are solving. They need to understand how to explain their thinking using mathematical language. All of this is possible. I have taught this way and seen so many teachers transform their classrooms to look and sound this way.
But unfortunately, not all teachers agree. Some think that the way that they have successfully taught for years is the way in which they need to continue teaching. Some teachers blame the students (they are addicted to screens, they don’t know how to solve problems, they don’t know how to stay engaged). While all of this may be true, it is the number one reason why we need to change the way in which we are teaching. We have a different group of students in front of us then we did 10 years ago, 5 years ago even 3 years ago. If teachers, administrators, district systems and higher education don’t start keeping up with the changes that are happening in society, then we are not preparing kids for what is to come.
