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We educate people about education

The Museum of Teaching and Learning needs you NOW more than ever
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"The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled." - Plutarch
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MORE MOTAL ARTICLES
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ARTIFACT COLLECTION
    Attitude Adjustment - And How Do YOU Feel About Math?
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  Daily Math
  A few months ago a book called Daily Math caught my eye as I entered the book store. I decided to
  buy it to “stay in shape.” I was eager to keep up with the varied and interesting problems--one
  problem per page each day. Every problem is followed by the answer and a clear explanation.
  However, when I was extolling its virtues, a friend commented that she would rather have a root canal 
  than do math. Yes, like many of our fellow Americans, she is used to treating math with disdain
  instead of enthusiasm.


  Here at the Museum of Teaching and Learning we are concerned that math too often takes a back
  seat to other topics and activities and that our relative lack of competence is revealed all too often. 
  Perhaps you have been a customer at fast food restaurants where you lament the inability of the
  cashier to make accurate change. Our high school graduates perform at the level of 8th grade
  graduates
from many other countries. Facility with mental math calculations is sadly lacking in an
  era of easy calculator use.


  However, we are in a significant time in our democracy’s history when we must have strong abilities
  to evaluate data in charts, graphs, and news reports. We need to learn to question figures that are  
  presented in ways that are potentially slanted. We can start to make a difference by including math
  in our regular encounters with our families. Skills in numeracy are not just for a select few.


  One way to adjust attitudes is to model excitement and work with students on projects that help
  build mathematical understandings in entertaining and interesting ways. Here is a link to a PBS
  article that shares interesting projects to do with young children. Older students can do similar
  projects but with greater detail and sophistication.
  • Chart the weather, making observations once a day or more.
  • Take a family survey and report the results, exploring favorite foods, colors and more.
  • Create a map of the surrounding neighborhood, showing streets, homes, and beyond.                 
                
                  8 Easy Ideas to Add Math Into Your Daily… | PBS KIDS for Parents


  On a broader scale, we are concerned when only nine of our nation’s states show improvement
  on the test known as “The Nation’s Report Card.” It is the NAEP (National Assessment of
  Educational Progress) that is administered to sample populations of grades 4, 8, and 12 (ages 9,
  13,17) every two years. Although young students’ math scores have increased, those for 17
  year-olds have remained flat for many years.


  Another assessment is an international test that measures competency of 15-year-olds every
  three years. It is the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) that evaluates
  educational systems in mathematics, science, and reading. The United States
comes in 36th out
  of the 79 participant nations with a very low position within the group of industrialized nations.


  Surely, the measures that families take at home don’t resolve other kinds of contributing factors
  such as teachers’ lackluster skills and low levels of enthusiasm for math, but that is another topic
  worthy of concern. What family math DOES do is start children out with a “Can do” set of
  experiences and attitudes that are modeled by the ADULT(S) in their lives. If your attitude does
  need adjusting now is a good time.


Resources:
NAEP https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/
PISA https://hechingerreport.org/what-2018-pisa-international-rankings-tell-us-about-u-s-schools/
Numeracy Skills https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/numeracy-skills

Artifact of the Month
We are building a virtual 
exhibition of our artifact collection. The selection for

November is
The Wonder Number Game

Learn about this!
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Highlighted Artifact 
The Typewriter
​

Learn about this!
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​All rights reserved. Disclosures.
1111 E. Commonwealth, Unit C, Fullerton, CA 92831, USA

  • Home
  • MOTAL Articles
  • Artifacts
    • Artifact of the Month
    • Artifact Group and Index
  • Exhibitions
    • Two Roads, One Journey >
      • Objectives
      • Our Audience
      • The Experience
      • Exhibition Floor Plan
      • Venues
      • Creative Team
    • Traveling Exhibitions >
      • Two Roads, One Journey
      • A Class Action >
        • Exhibition Design
        • Exhibition Layout
        • Manuscript and Photographs
        • Artifacts
        • Recordings and Documentary
        • Docent Support
        • Classroom Materials
        • Suggested Events
        • Marketing Materials
        • Venues
        • What People Are Saying
        • Acknowledgements
      • Memories of Mexican Schools Listening Station
    • Past Exhibitions >
      • A Class Action Original Exhibition >
        • The Case
        • Exhibition Committee
        • Partners and Sponsors
      • Memories of Mexican Schools
      • Horace Mann
      • Maria Montessori
    • Dream Exhibitions >
      • Brain Exhibition
      • Learning Disabilities
      • Global Classrooms
  • Podcasts
  • Events
  • Programs
    • Artifact Collection
    • Artifact Group and Index
    • Learn
    • Bookshop
    • Resources
  • Contact
  • About Us
    • About MOTAL
    • Our History
  • Donate
  • Membership
  • Volunteer
  • Board Members
  • Behind the Scenes