Ask Matt Mentor
Dear Matt, I am a first year teacher and was talking to another teacher who said that our school believes that the
teacher should be responsible for 100% of the students’ learning. Isn’t that kind of backwards to
what I learned in teacher preparation classes? Shouldn’t the students investigate, discover, and uncover
mathematics? Sure, I agree that the teacher should lead the students, do informal and formal
assessments, and make sure there is an understanding of the material, but do I have to teach them
100% of everything? Can’t they be responsible for a part of their own learning? I am just curious as
to your thoughts on that issue.
Response: Dear First Year Teacher: I think both ideas can be correct: that the teacher is responsible for students’ learning, and that students are responsible for their own learning. But before I explain how they can both be true, let’s think about what we mean when we say “to teach”. Past practice has often equated teaching with telling, leading to a definition of teaching mathematics that is based on a teacher clearly explaining an idea to students. We all have personal and classroom evidence, however, that indicates that simply being told an idea by a teacher does not necessarily help a person understand that idea, or make sense of it for him or herself. So we need to be clear by what we mean when we say to teach, and base it on the outcome of that action. Let’s propose that what we mean by teaching is leading classroom lessons in a way that builds understanding that “sticks” and can be applied in a variety of contexts and situations. To get to this deep and lasting understanding of mathematics requires us to look at a teacher’s responsibilities in a broader sense than simply being a good communicator. In the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics 1991 Document Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics, six standards are spelled out for effective teaching of mathematics. They are: • Worthwhile mathematical tasksThis means that a primary role for every teacher is to select and plan for activities and explorations that are suitable for students and will support their learning of important mathematics. • Teacher’s role in discourse This means that the teacher plans and orchestrates classroom discussions so that learning flows from the tasks, by questioning, monitoring, listening, and providing information when necessary. • Student’s role in discourse This means that, as you say, students also have responsibility for their learning, by asking questions of the teacher and each other, posing conjectures, justifying conclusions, and listening respectfully. • Tools for enhancing discourse This includes concrete materials, written and oral explanations, technology such as calculators and computers, representations such as diagrams and graphs. • Learning environment This means planning the time, space, and student grouping for each class to optimize learning, creating a respectful classroom so all ideas can be heard and students are comfortable taking risks, and helping all students become independent learners. • Analysis of teaching and learning This means not only assessing student learning, formally and informally, but adjusting lessons as needed to make learning more effective. If this defines what it means to teach, then overall, it IS the teacher’s responsibility to make this all happen. But this also puts lots of responsibility on each student: for engaging in tasks and discourse ,for using tools carefully and well, and for supporting a productive environment. In other words, it is100% the teacher’s responsibility to plan and lead effective lessons; such lessons allow students to investigate, explore and summarize mathematical ideas for understanding. Finally, neither you nor your school can expect you to be 100% successful with every student. Students still have free will, and while you can plan excellent lessons, you cannot force students to learn. But being a professional means working continuously to become better at what you do, including ways to draw more students into the challenging but rewarding work of learning mathematics. Good Luck! Matt |
Matt Mentor, a wise and experienced teacher, offers advice about teaching mathematics topics to beginning teachers. Of course, experienced teachers can join in as well. Here’s how it works: Send your answers to MattMentorMCTM@aol.com and Matt will post as many different solutions that adequately address the question as are received. Have a Question for Matt? |
