It's time to debunk myths about who's good in math, and the Common Core ushers us toward this goal, writes Jo Boaler of Stanford University in The Hechinger Report. All children are different in their thinking, strengths, and interests. Brain science tells us better memorizers don't have greater math "ability" or potential, yet we continue to value faster memorizers over those who think slowly, deeply, and creatively -- the very students we need for our scientific and technological future. Mathematics classes of the past decade have valued the learner who memorizes well and calculates fast. Yet data from 13 million students taking PISA tests shows the lowest-achieving students worldwide are those who use memorization strategies, viewing math as a set of methods. The highest-achieving students are those who think of math as a set of connected, big ideas. Our most recent generation of students is procedurally competent but can't think its way out of a box. Mathematics is broad and multidimensional, about inquiry, communication, connections, and visual ideas. We don't need students who calculate quickly. We need students who ask good questions, map pathways, reason out complex solutions, build models, and communicate in different forms. These ways of working are all encouraged by the Common Core. More

Source:  Public Education News Blast

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