CEO Comment Regarding the Math Wars Nov 9, 2006 The "Math Wars" is a battle between two prevailing schools of thought regarding the way kids ought to be taught mathematics in our schools. Although the battle is heated, I believe that ignorance has played a huge role in contributing to the size of the debate. I believe that philosophically, the two sides agree more than they realize, and it is a shame that the fight has been the way it is for the past few decades. If you are not familiar with the Math Wars, here is an exaggerated depiction of the two sides of the debate: Extreme Traditionalists: Master your math basics, such as addition and multiplication. Memorize formulas. If you can do that, you are good at math. Extreme Constructivists: Don't master your math basics...that's what calculators are for. People who merely memorize formulas won't understand what they are doing and can't solve real world problems. Let's teach a curriculum that focuses on understanding the "why" of math. That will engage the students effectively and prepare them for the real world. Although the above depiction is exaggerated, constructivists often view traditionalists exactly as depicted. At the same time, some constructivists might take offense if you told them that they didn't believe in learning basic skills. However, tell a constructivist that you believe in memorizing times tables, and you'll most likely get a response that more time should be spent making math relevant to the real world. As a "traditionalist", I strongly feel that "traditional" math has simply been mischaracterized by constructivists. There is no such thing as a traditionalist who thinks merely memorizing formulas and executing algorithms is the key to being successful in math. The truth of the matter is, traditionalists simply believe that mastery in basic skills is a prerequisite to achieving a deep understanding of math. We still believe that you need to do math in the context of real situations. If every constructivist educator were to view traditionalists in this light, I don't believe there would be nearly the debate that exists today. Fortunately, on September 12, 2006, the NCTM released the Curriculum Focal Points, a document that almost perfectly reflects an accurate viewpoint of traditionalist math educators. That document specifically acknowledges basic skills as prerequisites for achieving a deep understanding of math. At the same time, it never backs down from the belief that applying math in the context of the real world is important. Given the fact that the NCTM is best known for constructivist philosophies regarding math education, it is quite conceivable that the Math Wars have a chance of ending. I invented MathScore.com to specifically hone basic skills because I believe basic skills aren't getting proper attention in most schools. Given today's plethora of demanding math standards in each state, teachers just don't have the time to provide basic skill practice, and I don't blame them. Most teachers are simply relieved if they can simply teach all of the standards by the end of a school year! Fortunately, MathScore relieves teachers of this pressure. In fact, one lab session of MathScore can provide the rigor of one month's worth of timed math tests, and the teachers don't have to do any paperwork. If one timed math test consumes half an hour of a teacher's time due to time spent photocopying, grading, and recording scores, one lab session of MathScore saves more than 10 hours of teacher headaches. In addition, after our students hone basic skills, our more advanced topics take over, allowing students to develop a very deep understanding of math, which has been repeatedly reflected in high test scores. Whether you are a teacher or a parent, I hope you find our service helpful. Sincerely, Steven Yang CEO, MathScore.com Back to the Math Score homepage