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November 13, 2007

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ASCD SmartBrief Special Report:
Making Math Count (Part I)

Math plays an increasingly important role at the foundation of high-paying professional careers, yet many students -- especially girls and minorities -- are often not expected to succeed. Where do such attitudes come from, and how can educators change them?

This two-part ASCD SmartBrief Special Report on Making Math Count examines why math is so important and offers tips and resources for educators to better engage students and help them learn. Part I of the report focuses on methods teachers can use to engage and inspire, offering ideas and resources. It also offers a glimpse at several of the many perspectives on teaching math. Part II, to be published Thursday, explores new technology that is transforming math education as well as stereotypes that affect girls' and minorities' participation in math.

At a Glance

Economist: Math offers students brighter futures
Math offers all students a gateway to high-paying professional jobs, experts say. Instead of being afraid of math, students who embrace it face nearly unlimited career paths, says economist Anirban Basu. Maryland Gazette (11/3)

Study: High school math key to success in sciences
Students who took more math in high school did better in all types of college science, while students who took high school science courses such as chemistry or physics, only improved college performance in those specific subject areas, according to a recent study of 8,474 students. San Francisco Chronicle/Associated Press (7/26)

Most parents don't see need for advanced math, science
While educators, lawmakers and business leaders are increasingly eager to improve math and science classes, 70% of parents are satisfied with the status quo, according to a recent Public Agenda survey. "There is room for concern here," said Jodi Peterson of the National Science Teachers Association. "We have a big challenge ahead to educate parents as to why math and science is important for their kids." Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) (9/19)

Get students excited about math!
Aha!Math by Learning.com excites and motivates students with interactive content and multisensory real-world experiences, while digital coaches guide, provide feedback and encourage success. See why students love Aha!Math.

Instruction & Assessment

Teacher's songs help second-graders learn math
Second-grade teacher Eric Chandler writes his own songs inspired by the Virginia Standards of Learning to help his students learn about math, vowel sounds and other concepts, and he's not alone: Some 200 artists have contributed music about reading, math, foreign languages, special education and classroom management to a specialized Web site. The Washington Post (10/23)

Top math teacher urges educators to show, not tell: Award-winning teacher Jayne King says it's important to let students discover answers on their own. "You have to create an environment where kids are comfortable taking risks with their learning," she says. The Philadelphia Inquirer (9/5)

How to help struggling math students
Struggling math students may work so hard to memorize discrete facts that they miss the larger concepts, writes education consultant Marilyn Burns. She offers nine ways educators can intervene to help such students have a deeper understanding of math concepts and make connections among math ideas. Educational Leadership (11/2007)

Explore incorrect answers to improve understanding
Examining what students do when answering problems incorrectly can help an entire class better understand mathematical concepts and relationships, writes math education researcher Deborah Schifter. While some teachers initially found such methods unusual, they discovered that working through incorrect strategies improved their own understanding as well. Educational Leadership (11/2007)

Study: Gesturing may prime children's brains to learn math
Students told to gesture are four times more likely to correctly express new ways to solve a math problem, according to a study of third- and fourth-graders by researchers at the University of Chicago. Children told to gesture who then received a lesson were able to solve 1.5 times more problems correctly than those told not to gesture. ScienceDaily (11/5)

Struggling to Support Successful Math Learners?
Aha!Math by Learning.com supports students below, above and at grade level with its unique, Web-delivered K-5 math curriculum. Aha!Math makes it easy for teachers to use it for whole class instruction AND individualize it for each student's needs — whether to reteach, reinforce or extend math learning. Learn more and see sample curriculum.

Perspectives/Strategies

Opinions: Do incentives for math, science teachers work?
Schools are increasingly relying on higher starting salaries to help attract certified math and science teachers, but the evidence to support such a move is mixed. Researchers recently identified 39 Texas schools with notable math and science scores, with one of the commonalities among those schools being that they pay their teachers in those subjects more. However, experts on financial incentives say there is little evidence that such approaches work. The Washington Post (6/12) , The Dallas Morning News (10/31) , Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) (7/31)

Make math fun for all to change parent, student attitudes
Students, parents and sometimes even teachers fear math, but it is possible to change such attitudes. Classroom strategies and building confidence helps, but involving parents in fun math activities is said to be key to changing students' attitudes. Educational Leadership (11/2007) , Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) (10/23)

Viewpoint: National math standards may exacerbate problems
States like California have established strong central curricula but are losing ground to other states in math performance, while international top performers like Japan, Singapore, China and Korea have virtually no national curriculum, writes Zalman Usiskin, education professor and director of the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project. Teachers need to have more of a voice in developing their own curriculum to best suit their students, Usiskin says. Educational Leadership (11/2007)

ASCD Resources

Online math resources for teachers and students
Looking for new ways to inspire your students? Check out these online resources:
Lesson plan ideas
- The Math Forum at Drexel University offers kindergarten to graduate-level lesson plans, software, student project ideas and homework help.
- Math in Daily Life helps students apply math to daily life, from population growth and science to finances and cooking.
- Inspire students with the beauty and fun of fractals at a child-friendly site with examples that even elementary students can understand.
- The Math Forum's directory of weekly competitions will challenge students at any level.
- The Math Forum Internet Mathematics Library is a treasure trove of links categorized by topic or educational level.
Especially for girls
- The Girl Scouts' Girls Go Tech site offers games and resources designed especially for girls.
- GirlStart is aimed at drawing middle-school girls into math and science with games and fascinating child-friendly articles.
- The Girls Math & Science Partnership encourages and inspires teen girls interested in math and science.
Homework help
- Math.com offers students practice problems, games, tools and tutoring.
- S.O.S. MATHematics includes useful tutorials in algebra, trigonometry, calculus and other advanced topics.
- The University of Cambridge runs a fabulous site with new enrichment activities for elementary, junior high, high school and college-level students, every month.

Books, articles and other ASCD resources
The ASCD offers many resources especially for math educators:
- Study guide: Educational Leadership Making Math Count Study Guide
- Book: Concept-Rich Mathematics Instruction
- Book: Math Wonders to Inspire Teachers and Students
- Book: Exemplary Practices for Secondary Math Teachers
- Book: The Beginning School Mathematics Project
- DVD: Meaningful Mathematics: Leading Students Toward Understanding and Application
- Audio: Improving Mathematics Instruction Through Coaching
- Professional Development: Teaching Mathematics Effectively Grades K-2
- Blog: Math teacher Patty O'Flynn blogs about interactive technology.

Product announcements appearing in SmartBrief are paid advertisements and do not reflect actual ASCD endorsements. The news reported in SmartBrief does not necessarily reflect the official position of ASCD.

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