From Thursday’s Globe and Mail

Published Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011 2:00AM EST

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/margaret-wente/why-alex-cant-add-or-subtract-multiply-or-divide/article2271359/

In Brief:

http://www.fcpp.org/publication.php/3905

Media Release – Something is Wrong With the State of Math Education in Canada

Frontier Centre study defends traditional math education

Winnipeg, MB: The Frontier Centre for Public Policy is proud to release a groundbreaking study authored by Frontier’s education research fellow Michael Zwaagstra. The study, entitled Math Instruction that Makes Sense, demonstrates conclusively that traditional math education methods are superior to the highly ineffective, discovery-based instructional techniques that are in vogue now in educational curricula. Zwaagstra shows why these techniques do not allow students to master basic math skills.

Zwaagstra draws on a wealth of relevant studies to argue that, “ in order for students to receive a strong grounding in math, they need to spend more time practicing math skills such as basic addition and subtraction along with the standard multiplication tables.” “There is ample research evidence showing that deliberate practice is the best way to gain mastery over a particular subject or skill,” said study author Michael Zwaagstra. Continue reading →

http://life.nationalpost.com/2011/09/09/math-is-tougher-than-reading-study-finds/

By Joannie Laucicus

Why is it that for some children reading is a snap, but math is daunting?

About six years ago, Jo-Anne LeFevre, director of the Institute of Cognitive Science at Carleton University, and her colleagues studied elementary students in Winnipeg, Ottawa and Peterborough.

One of the things they learned was that children need a more complex set of skills to master math than reading. These skills include the ability to process language, identify quantities and pay attention to the task. Children with attention deficit disorder, for example, often have difficulty with math. “It’s more complicated than reading,” says LeFevre. Continue reading →

http://www.torontosun.com/2011/07/08/summer-school-is-hot

First posted: Saturday, July 9, 2011 4:04:57 EDT PM

Do you know how to calculate percentages? And do you understand the difference between “per cent” and “percentage point?”

I hope you had a perfect score in my quiz below. You’ll find the answers at the end of the column. Continue reading →

Big drop in math skills of entering students

On that point there’s no argument, but educators don’t agree about how much it matters.

by Anne Kershaw

http://www.universityaffairs.ca/big-drop-in-math-skills-of-entering-students.aspx

Deteriorating math skills among high school graduates is not just a North American phenomenon, experts say.

The math skills of students entering Canadian universities have declined sharply in recent years, with many students unable to do basic arithmetic. Whether this is a learning crisis with dire implications for Canada’s citizenry and its future science and engineering base or simply an inevitable result of the ubiquity of calculators and computers is a matter of debate. Continue reading →

http://www.canada.com/story_print.html?id=3938348

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2010/03/09/ont-math.html?ref=rss

A new study shows a third of first-year college students in Ontario are in danger of not graduating because they flunked or barely scraped through their math course.

Researchers at Seneca College who conducted the study say that equates to about 10,000 students.

About 67 per cent of students achieved good grades — As, Bs, and Cs — slightly better than last year.

The governing Liberals are focusing on post-secondary education as a way to pull Ontario out of a major economic recession.

Monday’s throne speech promised to increase the portion of the province’s population that has a university or colleges education to 70 per cent from 62 per cent. Continue reading →