A Golden Age for Developmental Mathematics

As we start another academic year, sometimes we get discouraged because it seems like we are trying to solve the same problems, and cope with the same challenges, for decades. I think we have good reason to view this year in particular in a different way.

I believe that this period will be seen as the golden age of developmental mathematics.

Think about this historical view: Sixty years ago, ‘remedial’ mathematics was a minor issue for most colleges. Community colleges were generally not large, and tended to be either occupational schools or ‘junior’ colleges. Fifty years ago, community college enrolments were growing very quickly; part of the result was an obvious ‘need’ for remedial math. In keeping with the CC mission, remedial math was re-cast as developmental math (in some cases) to be more student-friendly. However, the content and methods of developmental math were still remedial — the high school algebra I and algebra II courses formed the core.

Forty years ago, a ‘back to basics’ movement pushed our curriculum towards computation and procedures. Turns out, this was a minor shift; the main visible evidence was the emergence of the worktext in math classes. Thirty years ago, ‘hand-held calculators’ were the big thing; we fought and argued about whether these devices should be allowed in our math classes … and whether they would impact the curriculum

Twenty years ago, graphing calculators were the issue; some interesting (and short-lived, in some cases) text materials were developed to take advantage of this technology for learning. Large parts of our profession remained untouched, however. This same time period saw the early stages of digital products — now called homework systems. Ten years ago, the digital products reached a level of complexity that their use became much more common; days of workshops at conferences helped faculty learn how to change controls and how to collect student results.

Today, we face opportunities for improvement that were not possible in these prior periods. Instead of deciding which technology to use, we are debating what mathematics is appropriate. Instead of assuming that algebra headed towards calculus is the path for all students, we are establishing statpaths and quantitative reasoning paths … while still looking for ways to enable more students to be “STEM bound”. Instead of making tweaks to one of our 3 or 4 courses, we are looking at ways to get the job done in 1 or 2 courses. In some cases, we are looking for practical ways to do the job without any course in dev math at all.

This is our golden age. Our work will shape the profession for decades, and the math faculty of 30 years in the future will see this decade as the turning point — a shift towards deliberate designs for actual needs. In 30 years, we may not have anything called ‘developmental’ mathematics; perhaps the pre-college work will be called ‘literacy’ or simply pre-college. In 30 years, faculty will understand how different this work is (compared to any high school curriculum). In 30 years, all math faculty can see their courses as involving sound mathematics which will help students reason and learn.

This is our golden age. Yes, we are faced with pressures. Yes, we are challenged by misinformed policies and laws (in some cases). Yes, some efforts to ‘change us’ come from sources which do not value mathematics. Yes, sometimes we see only threats and retrenchment when we should see doors opening to a better future.

This is our golden age. We can have discussions now about what mathematics is appropriate for all students, about what mathematics is appropriate for science preparation, and what mathematics might inspire students to consider STEM paths. We are not just looking for the best colors, nor just looking for how to explain a topic so one more student gets it; we are looking at which instructional methods produce a given type of outcome, and we are realizing that a complex set of teaching skills is needed.

Developmental Mathematics Revival!

Bringing a new vitality to college mathematics 2011 to 2019