Basic Skills … what is important?

Okay, here is a quiz for you. Which of these categories of skills is more important in today’s world?

A) Basic skills (correct computation, solving routine problems, etc)

B) Critical thinking (solving novel problems, connecting sets of learned material, metacognition, etc)

You see, I think we have a problem with “Goals”. Philosophically, we believe that mathematics is a venue to improve critical thinking … operationally, we deliver a curriculum much more focused on basic skills. To complicate matters, our college curriculum follows the school curriculum which is decidedly skill oriented (given the high stakes testing, understandably so).

Back in February, NPR ran a story about some reports dealing with how well students are prepared for college (see http://www.npr.org/2011/02/09/133310978/in-college-a-lack-of-rigor-leaves-students-adrift). In their story, writing was connected more to critical thinking than math was … I would not disagree, but would hope that our math courses are part of the answer.

Our developmental mathematics textbooks are severely ‘skill bound’, and we sometimes choose solutions that exacerbate the situation — such as modularized programs that discourage integration and accumulation.

I am sure that we all share a goal of improving our students critical thinking, and the evidence indicates that the need for this work is greater than ever. My own courses are, sadly, typical of what we are all doing. Could we, if we wanted to, create something better?

Absolutely! Development of critical thinking is a field with its own theories, research, and methodologies. For starters, see the nice chapter by Diane Halpern at http://education.gsu.edu/ctl/FLC/Foundations/criticalthinking-Halpern.pdf . Even a brief online search will provide you with more material.

We can do better! Let’s work together so our students are better prepared for the problems they will face …inside academia and outside.

Developmental Mathematics Revival!

Bringing a new vitality to college mathematics 2011 to 2019