5 Things that Will Become Obsolete in Math and Science by 2020
Tweet
Obsolete Education Trends Through 2020
There are many lists going around concerning what the next decade will bring in K-12 education, especially focusing on those things that will become obsolete.
Well, I decided to create my own list of 5 things that should become obsolete in K-12 education by 2020.
Homework
The United States continues to fall behind most Asian and some European countries in science and math (Third International Science and Math Study, 2007).
One interesting fact that jumps out about these countries is that they continually outscore the United States – while requiring little or no homework.
Homework is a staple in this country. Because of this parents often think their children’s teachers are not very good unless they send home a regular amount of homework.
The biggest problem concerning homework — students who do not understand in school, will still not understand at home.
Also, parents are forced into the position of teaching their child something that they themselves may know little about – especially in science and math.
For the record — My definition of homework is repetitious math problems and memorization of science terms, along with the rote memorization of math and science facts.
Computer Labs
This is one of the biggest wastes of technology resources in schools today. Computers belong in the classroom! I have been in schools where computers are connected to sewing machines. The purpose is to allow students touse computerized patterns for sewing.
On the positive side — I have also been in schools that have three or four computer labs, with one set of 4 or 5 computers for teachers to check out for their classrooms.
Computers belong in science and math classrooms for students to use in science lab investigations and math problem solving situations.
Computers support the best approaches for teaching science and math — project-based learning investigations, case studies, and problem-based learning situations.
Standardized Tests
SAT and ACT tests do not carry the weight they use to for college admission.
All standardized testing associated with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is pretty much worthless, only good for politicians and determining a student’s ability to pass a test on a given day.
Standardized testing and NCLB have transformed many schools into testing machines that take the inquisitiveness out science and math by turning our children into bored, underachieving test taking robots.
Treating Teachers as Non-Professionals
Teachers are professionals, just like other adults who require a college degree and certification for their career field.
This starts in house, where teachers are given the respect they deserve by administrators and central IT gurus, who belief that only they should have the ability to load instructional software on computers. This also means letting teachers have the ability to access online programs and websites that support teaching science and math, without begging for permission.
Textbooks
Anyone who has viewed current science or math textbook understands that most are monumental wastes of money. The need for textbooks is perpetuated by two things – parents who think they are needed and publishing companies that need to make a buck.
School systems spend enormous amounts of their budget yearly purchasing textbooks that are out of date the moment they are printed.
Schools typically keep science textbooks for six years or more and scientific knowledge changes every day. Also, these textbooks are overrun with colorful, useless information that only serves to distract and confuse students.
Math textbooks are only designed for rote memorization of facts and repetitiously boring math problems. Just like science textbooks, they are plastered with colorful useless information that only serves to distract and confuse students.
Your Turn
Now it is your opportunity to add things you would like to see phased out of science and math education by 2020.
Janelle Wilson said,
Great post! I hope you are correct on all accounts. I already rarely give homework as it has little value. We’ve been trying to convince our district that textbooks are unnecessary.
I hope I see the phasing out of strict instructional calendar so that science can be taught as a more unified discipline. I teach Earth science, and it would be exciting to do more real world applications but am often bound by the calendar. I am trying to incoporate more projects and real world data, but I have a lot more to do!
Thanks for the excellent post!
sydney said,
Thank you for this. I do hope you are correct in your predictions. Math and science became both boring and intimidating to me in high school in the 70s, and I see that “teaching” methods have not changed. It’s shameful.
Another characteristic of societies which excel in effective education is the number of hours/days students spend at school. We need to make this transition in the US.
Maria Droujkova said,
“R” from “the three Rs”
There is no R in Mathematics. It has been renamed, but most early childhood and elementary math instruction is still arithmetic. It has to change.
Preschoolers can already work with coordinates, dimensions, grids, functions, correlations, exponential and multiplicative ideas. Computational fluency should be developed while working with these concepts.
David Wetzel said,
Janelle - when I taught Physical Science I issued the text books to my students as required and told them to leave them in their locker. Every activity in class followed the instructional calender; however, every class was based on project-based learning activities and hands-on, minds-on investigations aligned with district, state, and national standards. The best part was that my students performed well on those ridiculous standardized tests and the administrators left me alone. Thank you for commenting.
Sydney - I agree with you on the hours/days and I think school should be year round - 10 weeks on and 3 weeks off. Students would not forget what they have learned in the past, as they do over the summer break. Also, I think teachers would be treated more like professionals by parents and the general public. Thank you for commenting.
Maria - I agree and feel that the best approach to address the issue is through project-based learning, problem-based learning, and case studies. These three methods have the ability to help students make connections and develop computational fluency. Thank you for commenting.
Lionel said,
Just like to throw in some alternative views:
1. Homework: in France and England, for sure, homework is a big thing. Kids get lots of it. As to its value, I tend to agree with you all. It should be replaced by home “study”—an opportunity for kids to practise and reinforce what they did in class, or try to work out what they did not. For that they need a good textbook or some way of finding a good source on the Net. A teacher should give each child a personal “guided home study.”
2. Computer labs: Agree
3. Textbooks: A good, concise, textbook with a guided, structured program of learning; worked examples; revision guidelines etc. cannot be beaten. It is a kids security blanket. I do not believe kids can easily find such information on the Net. Learn and understand what is in a good textbook and you will pass every test. Sure for some subjects, updates are needed and that is where the Net can play its part.
4. SAT, tests: Surely there is nothing wrong with the principle of testing kids: Life is all about being tested. Don’t let’s protect them. But do let’s make good tests; have good standards; and don’t fiddle the grades to make it seem educational standards have gone up… as has happened here in the UK.
5. Teachers: they should get the treatment they deserve, good or bad. Here in the UK I believe you can teach Physics, Chemistry, Geography etc. without a university degree in that subject. That can be disastrous. And certainly most primary teachers who teach maths and science are poor at maths and have no science background whatsoever. So not sure one can generalize as you have.
5. Practical projects will disappear, not because they should, but because too many health and safety issues have been introduced. How future scientists will do experiments I don’t know, but I would be pleased to hear.
Kelly said,
Hear, hear, Lionel. As in any profession, there are outstanding teachers and horrible teachers, and many more in-between. One additional thing I would like to see made obsolete very soon is the regular teacher in-service days. If they are professionals who deserve serious respect, why do they need training on-the-job, so to speak? It seems like once a month or so, parents need to stick their kids in day-care so teachers can have an in-service day. If they have the knowledge and the skills to do their jobs so well, why do they need so many in-service days? Why not do one or two week-long teacher’s retreats or seminars during the summer, when there is no school anyway?
I do have to take exception to Mr. Wetzel’s approach that parents “probably no little about” math and science. Personally, I believe that one of the best basics we can teach our kids is not to memorize rote facts but rather how to learn, how to discover, how to research, and how to think critically. When I’m working with our 5th grade daughter on math or science, I don’t feel that I need to know all the answers. I just need to know how and where to find them; learning together has been a powerful tool for her as a budding scientist and for her self-esteem. She understands that she has the power to discover and the responsibility to think critically about what she learns.
Cheers,
Kelly
Chris said,
You raise an interesting point regarding the homework assignments. I currently teach adult learners, and have found that they struggle with homework as well. One big question we all ask ourselves, is how do we know that they know? I am going to have to re-evaluate my answer and see how other methods can be brought into play.
Regarding the textbook, I’ve kept all of my books from college, but at the same time, with college text books costing an arm and a leg, I have to wonder if there is another way. Perhaps e-books in conjunction with the i-pad might be a solution.
Chris said,
“The best approach for teaching science and math is through project-based investigations, case studies, and problem-based learning situations.”
I would be very interested to see some examples of how this would be done. Or if there are web sites with project suggestions.
What are your thoughts on the use of computer algebra systems e.g. Mathematica or Maple?
David said,
Something I’d like to add to the list is content. I’d much rather see mathematics be about problem solving than ensuring kids “know” the quadratic formula.
When did we lose sight of the fact that mathematics is about communicating ideas not just about the calculations? I’d like to see a curriculum that reflects the fact that there is tonnes of real world mathematics out there, and that the primary focus of teaching mathematics should be developing kids who can problem solve, not memorize algorithms.
My Favorite Edu-Tweets of the Week (weekly) | Teaching Miss Cheska said,
[...] 43 5 Things that Will Become Obsolete in Math and Science by 2020 | 42Teaching Science and Math [...]
Add A Comment