Attitudes and Attainments
It is wonderful to have the students back after a long summer. It was also great to see so many parents at the "Welcome Back" night last week. Thanks for taking the time from your busy schedules to support your children in that way.
This September, I am reminded of some important foundations that inform the educational program you see today. In 1979, two of our founders, Larry Litman and Shanna Pargellis, engaged in a dialogue with several mathematics educators and textbook writers. Dr. Stephen S. Willoughby was the leader of the group, which promoted many good practices that are still in place at Mustard Seed School today.
Dr. Willoughby and his group believed that a proper mathematics education should help children attain skills, understandings and attitudes. A list of these was published in the opening pages of all of their textbooks. Mustard Seed School has always been quite good at the "skills" and "understandings" portions of the list.
Developing healthy attitudes is the trickier part. The Willoughby list includes attitudes like these:
--a conviction that mathematics does what it was invented to do -- solve real, interesting problems
--a confidence that they can be effective users of mathematical tools
--a conviction that imagination and insight are important in mathematical practice
--a willingness to persist
--an appreciation for the role of creativity in problem solving
--flexibility and fluidity in the use of tools
--an expectation that mathematical work will be enjoyable
--an appreciation for the structure and beauty of math
It is in the area of attitudes that the school has worked especially hard in recent years. I Love Math Day, math exhibitions for eighth graders, the use of games, puzzles and well-chosen cartoons in the curriculum, introducing the Investigations curriculum (grades K - 5), and welcoming visiting mathematicians have all played a role.
It is important to say: working on attitudes does not mean working less on skills. This is not a zero sum game. As students acquire good attitudes, their skill attainment rises and accelerates. Students find they can spend a full 30 minutes on homework happily and productively. Teachers find that student interest can be sustained for longer class times. Students have more math conversations with peers and adults. They are inclined to spend time on math games, puzzles and observations in their free times.
We all look forward to a year of surprising growth in all these areas!
This September, I am reminded of some important foundations that inform the educational program you see today. In 1979, two of our founders, Larry Litman and Shanna Pargellis, engaged in a dialogue with several mathematics educators and textbook writers. Dr. Stephen S. Willoughby was the leader of the group, which promoted many good practices that are still in place at Mustard Seed School today.
Dr. Willoughby and his group believed that a proper mathematics education should help children attain skills, understandings and attitudes. A list of these was published in the opening pages of all of their textbooks. Mustard Seed School has always been quite good at the "skills" and "understandings" portions of the list.
Developing healthy attitudes is the trickier part. The Willoughby list includes attitudes like these:
--a conviction that mathematics does what it was invented to do -- solve real, interesting problems
--a confidence that they can be effective users of mathematical tools
--a conviction that imagination and insight are important in mathematical practice
--a willingness to persist
--an appreciation for the role of creativity in problem solving
--flexibility and fluidity in the use of tools
--an expectation that mathematical work will be enjoyable
--an appreciation for the structure and beauty of math
It is in the area of attitudes that the school has worked especially hard in recent years. I Love Math Day, math exhibitions for eighth graders, the use of games, puzzles and well-chosen cartoons in the curriculum, introducing the Investigations curriculum (grades K - 5), and welcoming visiting mathematicians have all played a role.
It is important to say: working on attitudes does not mean working less on skills. This is not a zero sum game. As students acquire good attitudes, their skill attainment rises and accelerates. Students find they can spend a full 30 minutes on homework happily and productively. Teachers find that student interest can be sustained for longer class times. Students have more math conversations with peers and adults. They are inclined to spend time on math games, puzzles and observations in their free times.
We all look forward to a year of surprising growth in all these areas!