Why Teaching Math Is So Hard

Dan Kennedy
Baylor School

Teaching math is so hard because

Mathematics is not something you

learn.
Mathematics is something you do.
This makes mathematics different
from virtually every other subject in
the traditional school curriculum.

Here are some things that some people can do:

Juggle.
Waterski.
Play the violin.
Dunk a basketball.

Run a marathon.
Mathematics.

Other people cannot.

People never say, I never could do

English, or I never could do History.

These are subjects you learn.

People do not readily excuse

themselves for not learning.

And who defines what it means to do

math?

Math teachers.
This is a big difference between the
ability to do mathematics and the ability
to read!

Someone who can read this sentence

knows how to read.
How about this sentence:
Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny.

What does it mean to do mathematics?

1. 5 2
2. 24 6
3. Solve for x : ( x 2)(2 x 3) 49.
4. Find cos( / 3).
5. Find the product: 874539 374958.

6. Find 239121.
7. What is e i ?

Do we teach students to do mathematics or to

understand mathematics?

1 4
1 1

1
2
0

2 1
1 4
1 1
+

0 + 2 + 1 (4) (4) 0 = 11

Compare this to:

So how do we justify teaching a meaningless

computational trick that is ONLY good for
computing 3-by-3 determinants?
It does not generalize to higher orders.

It does not even suggest anything important

about how determinants work!

Teaching math is so hard because

The people who must identify which

students cannot do mathematics are
the same people entrusted with
teaching them.
Their math teachers!

A sobering thought:
There are people walking the
streets of Buffalo right now who
became convinced years ago that
they could not do math -because they could not do
some things that we no longer
even teach today!

For example, here is what we were doing 45

years ago:
Theorem: (b + c) + (c) = b
Statement
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

b and c are real numbers

b + c is a real number
c is a real number
(b + c) + (c) = b + [c + (c)]
c + c = 0
b + [c + (c)] = b + 0
b+0=b
b + [c + (c)] = b
(b + c) + (c) = b

Reason
Hypothesis
Axiom of closure for addition
Axiom of additive inverses
Associative axiom of addition
Axiom of additive inverses
Substitution principle
Additive axiom of 0
Transitive property of equality
Transitive property of equality

Teaching mathematics is so hard because:

This is America.
The problem is, this is such an
unusual country.
-- Jan de Lange, Director,
Freeudenthal Institute for
Teaching and Learning,
Utrecht, The Netherlands

My Ph.D. was in mathematics; by most

standards, I was very 'well trained.'
Nonetheless, the education that I received
was in many ways impoverished.
-- Dr. Alan Schoenfeld,
Reflections on an Impoverished
Education, from Mathematics
and Democracy: The Case for
Quantitative Literacy, NCED
2001

Teaching math is so hard because

Our professional leaders cannot
agree on what mathematics we ought
to be teaching!

In 1983, the College

Board published a
small booklet called
Academic
Preparation for
College. It listed the
following basic
academic
competencies for
mathematics

The ability to perform, with reasonable accuracy, the computations of

addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division using natural numbers,
fractions, decimals, and integers.

The ability to make and use measurements in both traditional and metric
units.

The ability to use effectively the mathematics of:

integers, fractions, and decimals;
ratios, proportions, and percentages;
roots and powers;
algebra;
geometry

The ability to make estimates and approximations, and to judge the

reasonableness of a result.

The ability to formulate and solve a problem in mathematical terms.

The ability to select and use appropriate approaches and tools in solving
problems (mental computation, trial and error, paper-and-pencil
techniques, calculator, and computer

The ability to use elementary concepts of probability and statistics.

Ironically, it was that

very same year, 1983,
that another document
was published, destined
to change the rules for
high school academic
preparation for years to
come
A Nation at Risk: The
Imperative for
Educational reform

From A Nation at Risk:

If an unfriendly foreign
power had attempted to
impose on America the
mediocre educational
performance that exists
today, we might well have
viewed it as an act of war.

The Math Wars:

Quantitative Literacy vs.
Calculus Preparation
Theory vs. Applications
Rote vs. Constructivism
Tracking vs. Mainstreaming
Etc.

No matter what mathematics we choose to

teach or how we choose to teach it, some
people will believe that we have made the
wrong choice.
Some of them will say so.
And they might be right.

Teaching mathematics is so hard because:

Everybody recognizes the importance of
mathematics, even if they do not
understand it.

There are only three R's:

Reading

Riting

Rithmetic

God help us; we are one of them.

If Johnny can read and Johnny can

write, then the fate of Johnny will be
determined by whether Johnny can do
'rithmetic.
The mathematics teacher is the
Gatekeeper.
Whether Johnny becomes a wealthy
CEO or a penniless beggar is entirely up
to you.
Have a nice day.

Teaching mathematics is so hard because:

Most people believe mathematics is
constant over time.
Unlike any other science.
Sort of like religion.

Thou shalt
factor.

Parents realize that physics, chemistry,

biology, history, and geography are different
today from when they were in school.

So they allow those subjects to change.

Not so mathematics.

The following things upset people:

Inability to do their child's homework.

Any appearance of the words NEW and
MATH in the same sentence.
Calculators.
The assertion that mathematics is for
everyone.

Some people seem to think that pre-college

mathematics is timeless.
If it was important for our parents, how
can it be unimportant today?
But technology has been rendering our
parents mathematics obsolete for decades.
For example,
consider log tables.

Here is a 1928
College Board
mathematics
achievement
exam.
It looks a lot like
todays college
placement tests.

But that is
another talk.

And speaking of logarithms

Teaching mathematics is so hard because:

Assessment is out of control.

NYS
Regents

What should we assess?

What we value
Learning

I learned an important fact about classroom

assessment when I began teaching AP courses:
It changes the entire classroom dynamic when the
teacher honestly does not know what will be on the
test.

The teacher has no other option

but to teach the students how to
think for themselves!

Why students dont think on tests:

Thinking takes time.

Thinking is only necessary when you cannot

do something without thinking.
If you can do something without thinking, you
can do it very well.
Students who can do something very well have
been well-prepared.
Therefore, if you prepare them well, your
students will proceed through your tests without
thinking!

This is how the educational game is played:

We show the students how to do math.
We let them practice at it for a while.
Then we give them a test to see how well they can
mimic what we did.
The game is won and lost for BOTH of us on test day.

We must value correct mathematics

more than we value correct answers.
We must let our students know it.
What we don't see can hurt our
students.

Good algebra:
2

3( x 1) 12
( x 1) 4
2

( x 1)2 4 0
( x 1 2)( x 1 2) 0
( x 3)( x 1) 0
x 3 0 or x 1 0
x 3 or x 1

Bad algebra:
2

3( x 1) 12
3
3
( x 1) 9
2

x 1 3
x 1 or x 3
1 and 3 don't work.
x 1 and x 3

Teaching mathematics is so hard because:

Articulation is out of control.

High School

College

Once upon a time there were 11

AP courses.

One of them was in mathematics.

Today there are 37 AP exams in 20
subject areas.
Three of them are in mathematics.

Currently, the greatest growth in the high

school curriculum is in courses that have
traditionally been taught in colleges.
The greatest growth in the college curriculum
is in courses that have traditionally been taught
in high schools.
It is not clear that either institution is serving
its clients very well.
--Dr. Bernard Madison, Chair of the
MAA Task Force on Articulation, 2002

350000

Unofficial 2009 point

300000

u
u

2008
276,004 exams

250000

2003
212,794 exams

200000

150000

1993
101,945 exams

100000

1986
51,273 exams
50000

1967
10,703 exams

1955
285 exams
0
1950

u
1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

2010

2020

What once was designed to

be a program for validating
college-level study of a few
courses by a small
percentage of exceptional
students for the purposes of
college placement
has gradually morphed into a
program for validating a
rigorous high-school
curriculum in a wide variety
of courses for the purposes
of college admissions.

What effect is this AP

scramble having on
the students?
On the one hand, they
are condensing or
skipping foundational
courses, so they are
less prepared for
advanced courses.
On the other hand, they are taking more
advanced courses, assuring that their lack of
preparation will be exposed!

The Race to Begin Algebra I

8th Grade 7th Grade

6th Grade

College Mathematicians want our best high

school students to have:
Deeper understanding
More proofs
Harder problems

Challenges like the AMC Competitions

No rush through foundational courses
No courses in high school beyond
freshman calculus

What some colleges

are doing now:
Demanding 4s or
5s for credit
Changing
freshman calculus
to a course that assumes students have
already studied calculus

How students are reacting:

They are less likely
to seek credit.
They are more likely
to play it safe.

They re-take calculus in college

unless they opt out of college
mathematics and take the credit and
run.

Other secondary-to-college articulation problems:

Technology.
Pedagogy.
Placement tests.

Math wars continued.

Graduate students.
Etc.

Teaching mathematics is so hard because:

Technology is out of control.

Technology has transformed our classrooms

Graphing calculators

Computers

Math software

TI Navigator

Smart Boards

TI Smart View

We must honestly assess every advance in

technology for its appropriate uses in the
classroom.
As noted before, we must also determine
what is meant by important mathematics.

b b 4ac
2a
2

Important?
Expendable?

The Skandu 2020:

It has the potential to scan any
standard algebra textbook
problem directly into its
memory for an analysis of key
instructional words, solve it
with CAS, and display all
possible solutions.
It will do the same for
standard geometry textbook
proofs.

The Skandu 2020

(Not its real name)

HA HA! Im only kidding.

At least for now.
If there is no Skandu 2020 in our classrooms
in five years, I doubt it will be because the
design is impossible.
It will be because teachers do not feel that it
would improve the teaching and learning of
important mathematics.

Obviously, the CAS conversations continue.

They are not just about technology, nor

should they be. They are about the teaching
and learning of mathematics.
Stay tuned. Be informed. Join the
conversation.
It just might be time for another change!

Now it may be time to change this

Imaginethe SchoolPad 2012

Teaching mathematics is so hard because:

There is so much more to teaching

mathematics than just teaching
mathematics.

WHAT MATHEMATICS TEACHERS HAD TO DO

FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE PAST
1. Prepare the college-bound for calculus.
2. Prepare the non-college-bound for employment.
3. Identify which students were which.

WHAT MATHEMATICS TEACHERS HAVE TO

DO FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TODAY
1. Prepare them all for calculus.
2. Prepare them all for employment.
3. Prepare them all for a life dominated by
computer technology.
4. Prepare them all to pass state-mandated
competency tests.

WHAT HIGH SCHOOL MATH TEACHERS

HAD TO KNOW IN ORDER TO TEACH
PROBLEM SOLVING IN THE PAST
1.
2.
3.
4.

Algebra.
Geometry.
Probability.
Trigonometry.

WHAT HIGH SCHOOL MATH TEACHERS

HAVE TO KNOW IN ORDER TO TEACH
PROBLEM SOLVING TODAY
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Mathematics.
Astronomy.
Economics.
Statistics.
Physics
Biology.
Etc.

The former
paradigm:
Learn the
mathematics in a
context-free
setting, then
apply it to a
section of word
problems at the
end of the
chapter.

I can do the math

I just cant do
the stupid WORD
PROBLEMS!

Graphing calculators have made word

problems more accessible to students. The
emphasis has shifted much more toward
modeling.

An example of a problem that used to be

hard for students but that now is easy:
Three families order lunch at a fast food restaurant. The Jacksons
pay $19.40 for 5 hamburgers, 3 small fries, and 5 soft drinks. The
Garcias pay $11.05 for 3 hamburgers, 2 small fries, and 2 soft
drinks. The Lorenzos pay $21.25 for 6 hamburgers, 4 small fries,
and 3 soft drinks. How much would a person pay at this restaurant
for one burger, one small order of fries, and one soft drink?

5h 3 f 5d 19.40
3h 2 f 2d 11.05
6h 4 f 3d 21.25

After modeling the problem, there are two

easy methods of solving it:

For teachers, these changes have not come

easily.
We have made changes, hopefully for the
better.
You might think we could pause, reflect, and
enjoy what we have accomplished.
But that is not how technology works!

Here are a few changes we have yet to

make

We need to stop thinking of a students

mathematics education as a linear
progression of skills that must be mastered.
Arithmetic

Fractions

Factoring

Equations

Inequalities

Radicals

Geometry

Trigonometry

Calculus

Statistics

Proofs
Functions

If students who have not mastered our

traditional mathematics skills can solve
problems with technology, should it be our
role as mathematics teachers to prevent them,
or even discourage them, from doing so?
Dr. Retro, Ive got it!

That does not count,

Miss Nouveau. Put
that thing away.

We ALL must teach fundamental

mathemics skills to our students, who
probably will not have mastered them.
Patiently. Casually. As a matter of course.
Mr. Oiler, if there are twice as many dogs as
cats, doesnt that mean that 2d = c?

Mr. Jones, if that is all you learned

last year, you had better drop this
course before it drops you.

Good question, Mr. Jones. Lets

see what would happen if there
were 4 cats

We must honestly confront the goals of our

current mathematics curricula.

Just because it is good mathematics does

not mean that we have to keep teaching it.
Nor is it necessary,
advisable, or perhaps even
possible to teach
everything that is in your
textbook.

We should treat every mathematics course

as a history course at least in part.

We will probably always teach some topics

for their historical value.

MATHEMATICS

Technology
Culture
Mental
Discipline
Quantitative
Literacy

Research
(College
Prep)

But whatever you do, have fun!

Learning is enjoyable.
So is teaching.
Any other philosophy of teaching
and learning is counterproductive.
Even in mathematics!

dkennedy@baylorschool.org