MU Team Gets $6 Million NSF Grant to Help Change the Way Kids Learn Math

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MU TEAM GETS $6 MILLION NSF GRANT TO HELP CHANGE THE WAY KIDS LEARN MATH

COLUMBIA, Mo. ã With the help of a $6 million National Science Foundation grant and a group of researchers and educators from the University of Missouri-Columbia, middle- school students across the nation may soon be learning more mathematics and learning it better than before. Through the new program, the students will study geometry, algebra, statistics and problem-solving through hands-on, engaging activities, such as writing journals or conducting experiments.

The new approach, termed ≥standards-based mathematics,≤ integrates important mathematics topics together with innovative, activity-based ways of learning math that challenge and prepare middle-grade students for continued study in high school. Math is first presented in concrete ways that are understandable to all students. Hands-on activities are used to illustrate the nature of the mathematics being studied and its usefulness in solving a variety of real-world problems. In this way, students develop a fundamental understanding of mathematical principles as well as basic skills for solving problems.

In addition to presenting the subject in a more engaging way, standards-based math also allows middle-grade students to focus on topics that previously were not studied in-depth at the middle-school level, such as algebra, geometry and statistics. Rather than the traditional emphasis on ≥covering≤ a large set of topics, standards-based math emphasizes ≥uncovering≤ concepts so students will retain them and develop skills necessary to apply their knowledge.

A recent international study comparing mathematics curricula in countries around the world characterizes the U.S. eighth-grade math curriculum as being ≥a mile wide and an inch deep.≤ Researchers attribute the poor performance of U.S. middle-school students to a lack of depth in the curriculum students study.

≥Studies have shown that nearly 70 percent of a traditional seventh-grade mathematics textbook reviews previous content. Only about 30 percent of the mathematics content is new and/or challenging,≤ said Barbara Reys, professor of mathematics education and project leader. ≥We need to change the curricular and instructional emphasis if we want to improve student learning. Standards-based mathematics appears to be successful in bringing about increased learning and preparation for high-school mathematics.≤

Reys explains that standards-based math involves implementing recommendations, or standards, outlined by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. These new standards call for curriculum and instruction that ≥engages, challenges and prepares students for continued study and growth in mathematical skills and understandings, causes them to develop mathematical habits of the mind, and to understand and appreciate the role of mathematics in human affairs. The intent is that students become mathematically literate, including becoming competent in basic skills, being able to explore, conjecture, reason logically and use a variety of mathematical methods to solve problems.≤

Although the NCTM standards were first published in 1989, the process of bringing standards-based math curricula into the classroom has been slow. Three years ago, Reys and an MU team of education and mathematics faculty, began an effort to introduce standards-based math into middle schools across Missouri. The new NSF grant allows them to expand those efforts to a national level.

The five-year ≥Show-Me Project: Supporting Standards-Based Middle Grades Mathematics Curricula≤ establishes the ≥Show-Me Center≤ at MU, which will serve as an administrative hub to facilitate collaborative work with five satellite centers where new curriculum materials were developed. The satellite centers, together with the Show-Me Center, are working to support the national effort to disseminate information and promote successful implementation of these middle-school math curricula.

The Show-Me Project also will offer professional development opportunities to help educators understand and use standards-based math curricula, serve as a clearinghouse of information, facilitate communication between educators, and coordinate research studies to further test the efficacy of standards-based mathematics.

More information about the Show-Me Center is available at the projectπs website: http://showmecenter.missouri.edu

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