David Geary, a cognitive developmental psychologist at University of Missouri, said that the reason a panel such as NMP was formed was because of the failure of schools of education to do what the country wants: Train teachers using research-based techniques, rather than running a playground for untested methods. Schools of education should be held accountable for their work, he said.
Vern Williams noted the current state of affairs in math education in which correct answers have been deemed over-rated and algebra has been redefined to include statistics and pattern recognition. He expressed his hopes that as a result of the NMP report teachers will feel it is once again crucial to consider content - and correct answers.
During a break in the meeting, however, an event occurred which to my mind simultaneously underscored and transcended the importance of NMP's report. Williams' 8th grade algebra class which had assembled at the back of the gym gathered, in rock fan fashion, around Hung-Hsi Wu - a panelist and math professor from Berkeley - to get his autograph and take pictures.
"I guess this shows that kids can get excited about math without sitting in groups doing projects and using math textbooks that look like video games," Williams said.
I hope for the best in this post-NMP world.
Living in a Post National Math Panel World
That's beautiful.
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