"Dan Meyer: Math Class Needs a Makeover" & Chapter 7

This week while I was researching traditional and reform classrooms and real life application to do my blog post concerning the issues in chapter 7, I came across a video that I think has an imperative message to educators today.  So instead of writing about chapter 7 explicitly, some of the topics I was going to discuss are addressed in the video, so I am going to discuss the video instead, with hopes that everyone will view it. 

On the TED website I viewed the video, “Dan Meyer: Math Class Needs a Makeover.”  In the video Dan Meyer discusses classrooms in the United States today, and I could not help but draw the resemblance to that of Amber Hill’s classrooms, which Boaler describes in her book.  He outlines examples of how the current curriculum, text books and societal values are diminishing any chances of students being able to become patient problem solvers and efficient in mathematical reasoning.  He then goes further by describing a solution to this.  The instruction methods he illustrates are similar to those Boaler describes in her portrayal of Phoenix Park’s classrooms.  Meyer gives an even clearer picture of how we need to challenge students with real life applications and use the technology we have at our finger tips as aids to produce a generation of real mathematical problem solvers.

I think the video is exceptionally interesting and takes Boaler’s description of Phoenix Park’s approach into the 21^st Century.  For myself, it gave me a clearer picture of how the teachers at Phoenix Park developed and approached problems they introduced to students, and how they allowed student discussion to generate the right questions and lead to solutions.  He ends the video with statement:

Math makes sense of the world.  Math is the vocabulary for your own intuition.  So I really encourage you, whatever your stake is in education...insist on better math curriculum.  We need more patient problem solvers" (Meyer, 2010).

I hope everyone takes a moment to view the video, I think it is an excellent for professional development piece!

Video: Dan Meyer: Math Class Needs a Makeover  

As well, I have attached the link for his blog below.  On it there is a wealth of resources for teachers, hope you get a chance to have a look.

Dan Meyer Blog


References:

Boaler, J.  (2002).  Experiencing School Mathematics.  New York: Routledge.

Meyer, D. (2010).  "Dan Meyer: Math Class Needs a Makeover."  Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_meyer_math_curriculum_makeover.html on November 5, 2011.