News Briefs

Report says math teachers need to know more than content area. But what?

Apr 10, 2008 3:53 PM

Question: What coursework and credentials make for an effective mathematics teacher? Specifically, what prerequisite skills and preparation do educators need to deliver math content effectively?

Answer: Researchers aren’t sure.

Like the old joke about the critic who says “I may not know good, but boy, do I know bad,” the authors of the U.S. Department of Education’s Foundations for Success: The Final Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel are pretty sure they know what constitutes bad teaching. It’s not only poor knowledge of the content area, but poor or no professional training, poor classroom management skills, little ability to engage students, and little interest in the course material. And that’s for starters.

Given that teaching is as much art as science, it’s not surprising. While mastery of subject matter is key, present research doesn’t demonstrate which professional credentials can produce effective math teachers in the classroom. Neither can requiring any specific college math content classes. Nor can any specific kinds of preservice, professional development, or alternative education programs demonstrate what best prepares individuals for teaching.

Grasping content, then, is just the beginning of wisdom. The panel called for teaching colleges to emphasize classroom-specific math skills, so teachers can provide “instructionally relevant” content knowledge. It also recommended that states, which license teachers, administer certification tests that better measure math teachers’ knowledge of instructionally relevant material.

The report is available at www.ed.gov/MathPanel.

Education Week, April 2