So is the teaching method. The children compare the measurements, interpret the data, and learn that math can be fun and practical, Huinker says. Students are active and engaged in investigation first, and the skills, which are richly embedded into the curriculum, come second. These programs present the broader scope of mathematics. It's more than computations.
Children learn the tools of geometry and data analysis from kindergarten on.
Based on an informal survey, children in Jeff Karbowski's 4th grade class at Milwaukee's Pierce Elementary School make predictions about the number of pockets everyone in the room is wearing. But even great teaching tools will fail if there isn't a system in place to support them. We've seen improvements on how teachers are prepared. We have more research to draw on about how students learn. But much improvement is needed before schools reach the level of instruction needed for effective science education, he says.