The Great Canadian Math Debate, Pt. 8
Parents losing faith in public schools over Alberta Education’s new math curriculum: “Don’t experiment with my children!”
On Tuesday, Nhung Tran-Davies, a mom and small-town physician from Calmar, Alberta, will bring a petition full of parental anguish and anger over radical changes to Alberta’s math to Alberta Education officials.
Tran-Davies will meet Tuesday morning with an Alberta Education deputy minister, presenting an interim copy of the petition, which has now been signed by more than 3,600 parents and educators, with the number growing by 1,000 in the last few days. She plans to eventually present the completed petition to Education Minister Jeff Johnson.
Johnson has said he will make sure basic math gets more of a focus when Alberta’s school curriculum is changed in the spring of 2016, but Tran-Davies says the situation is urgent and changes must come by next September.
Many parents expect that when their kids go to elementary school they will learn the standard practices in math, such as vertical addition and multiplication, and long division and multiplication and the memorization of times tables. Instead, Alberta Education has made a radical change of direction and adopted a program known as discovery math. School teachers are now discouraged from teaching standard math practices.
For now, here is a small sample of the voices on the petition speaking out against discovery math:
Kathy MacKenzie CALGARY
As the mother of a daughter in Grade 6, I am deeply concerned about the direction of math education. My daughter’s lack of the basics (multiplication, division, addition) is having a negative impact on her education and her emotional state. I am supplementing her education with tutoring which, at $50-60/hour, is challenging as a single mother. But as it appears to be a necessity given the lack of strong curriculum, I will ensure it is provided. Additionally, I am very concerned about the anxiety and stress being shouldered by children and the long term effects of this stress. Please ensure that our children receive a strong foundational education.
Marc Secretan FORT SASKATCHEWAN, AB
I have spent the last five years teaching my four boys math that should be taught at school. I don’t have time to provide all of their math education. Not knowing multiplication tables and using calculators in grade 9 is unacceptable.
Tammy Elliott CORONATION
My 12-year-old son suffers anxiety and is stressed to the point he will no longer go to school due to the math. We are now driving him 2 hours to the Sylvan Learning Center where we can hopefully bring back his confidence.
Cossette Massa EDMONTON
I am just finishing my year of Grade 12, and throughout all of the math classes I have taken, I have noticed almost every student struggles with the understanding of the new Math curriculum and how it is used in the real world. There are much easier ways to do things.
Jed Moore EDMONTON
My 10 year old daughter can NOT grasp this New math and consequently she hates math. Every summer we practice math the traditional way, she gets it, she gets enthused, and every September she goes back to school and we watch it all unravel in a mess of tears and frustration. It’s beyond ridiculous and we are letting our children down. Shame on you for perpetuating this broken system for the sake of pride and not wanting to admit failure. Shame.
“My child is so demoralized.” Caroline Simon
Tanya Durrant EDMONTON
My daughter, a smart 11-year-old, does not even know her multiplication tables, never mind how to divide. As disturbing as this is to her parents, it’s even more troublesome that she has an A in math. We wonder how that can be.
Erin Beierle-Beztilny RED DEER
Our son provided the absolute correct answer to a simple multiplication question and was graded with a lesser mark because he had not provided enough different problem-solving alternatives (4 were requested).
Romy Condic CALGARY
Our son is failing miserably! At home we have been doing math and he says his father & I do it wrong. This “be free to explore” system of education has got to stop! We now have to pay $ 10,000 per year at a private school to give our kids the education WE received!!
Tara Morrow CAMROSE
My son loved math up until the beginning of grade 3…then he came home in tears saying he hated it. Then we started working with him and taught him how we learned (the old way) and now he LOVES to do math and asked us to give him more questions!
Jacob Nay SHERWOOD PARK
As a first-year university student at the U of A this fall, I was shocked by how much the math curriculum let me down. In my first year calculus class, you cannot use a calculator. It is vital that we learn the basics of math for success in post-secondary. It just shows how out of touch our education system is with the realities of math beyond high school.
Kristine Huff CALGARY
It became apparent to me that my daughter was having issues with math in Grade 6 when her assigned math grade was over 84%, but her provincial achievement test score was 40%. We had to spend $4,500 on supplemental learning to bring her fundamental math knowledge up to par.
Ramona Woitas EDMONTON
Most kids, including my own, are having trouble with math these days. When I mention the multiplication tables they look at me like I am speaking a different language. People like Jeff Johnson, who THINK they are so smart, are making the new generation of children UNDER EDUCATED and taking away their rights / choices in life.
Matthew Ottewell EDMONTON
This type of voodoo math widens the gaps between parents who doggedly teach their children real math vs. those who have no clue.
Kimberly Sidor EDMONTON
Stop experimenting with our children! The new math needs to go,
Shawna Carmelo CALGARY
We now have to pay for our child to go to Kumon to learn the Math that she used to understand. With the new system she went from a decent student to a failing student of math and because of that started having anxiety attacks at school when math class started.
David McEwen CALGARY
I learned to do calculus in my head, and my children can barely add in their heads.
Laura Hlibka EDMONTON
I am appalled that my children are going to school, passing math with high marks and yet have great difficulty with basic sums. When my husband asked the teacher about the children doing mad minutes she said we could do it on our own if we wanted, but that it was strongly discouraged. Seriously? I got the feeling from a lot of teachers in the school that they were very opposed to the new method but that their hands were tied and they needed to stay quiet about it, so as to “not rock the boat” with administrators.
Sharron Parks CALGARY
This is so important!!! I currently have two sons within the CBE, one of which has high functioning Autism. We, as parents, decided to mainstream our son. With this new math curriculum and all its “twists and turns,” it is impossible for him to pass Math! Not only does he struggle to grasp the concept, the “typical” children in the class are suffering as well. The onus does not fall on the teachers of Alberta – it falls on Alberta Education – this curriculum must be changed and it must be changed NOW.
Delores Hatcher CALGARY
I have a daughter in grade 5 who understands the concepts of math, but doesn’t know basic addition and multiplication. In talking with their math teacher I was informed that basic math skills are not a part of the curriculum. Basic math skills are a part of everyday life, how can it not be taught in school?
Angela Duczek-Hardy VERMILION
We have had our 2 older children in the Alberta public school system for all of their school years. They are currently in grades 7 and 10. They are both very smart children and have always done well in math. Our grade 7 student has always had math grades in the 90’s. This year we discovered that neither of them knew how to do long multiplication or long division. This is not acceptable. I am now personally doing remedial work with our kids, and have pulled 3 out of 4 of them from the Alberta Math curriculum in favor of a more traditional math curriculum. We will likely pull the last of our children from it next year.
Subhash Karnik GRANDE PRAIRIE, AB
I am concerned about Math education of my grandchildren because I have no confidence left in the present education system in Alberta.
Caroline Simon DRAYTON VALLEY
I have been forced to watch my child struggle year after year with basic math, and fall further behind with every passing grade, despite significant time spent at home trying to shore up the curriculum’s short-comings. As each year goes by without mastering fundamental math skills, my child’s confidence plummets further and further, and more time is spent encouraging him to even try, he is so demoralized.
Sandra Pedrick ST ALBERT
My kids are suffering in math – I have become their teacher. Teaching basic math skills should not be my second job!
D. Switzer EDSON, AB
My daugher is in grade 12 and averages 98-100% in math. She found all the emphasis on “strategies” in elementary very frustrating and as she says “a waste of time” – excessive amounts of time were spent on strategies such as “tiles” when she could clearly see how to obtain the answer. … Education needs to balance how it approaches the math curriculum. The downward trend in math and numeracy scores in Canada/Alberta among young people is alarming.
“The results are devastating,” John Logan
Heather McKinley DRAYTON VALLEY
I have had to pay for a math tutor for two years to help my child. Math has been a real struggle for her since Jr High. She is now in grade 10 and I feel helpless in helping her. I have been sending her to a tutor weekly for math help. I have another child coming up through the grades and am concerned for her as well. It shouldn’t be up to the parents to have to supplement the math education at additional cost to the family. My child has lost all confidence and already feels that because of her scores that there are little options for post-secondary education.
Sarah Lafoy VERMILION, AB
I have a wonderful, bright, compassionate, sensitive, and caring 9-year-old son. Over the last few years we have discovered he has a hard time processing information. While he excels in so many areas this so called “New” math has done nothing but frustrate him (and me) and cause him to lose self-esteem and lose complete interest in math all together. It breaks my heart to see him know the answer but not understand the process that the “System” wants him to use. They have completely complicated something that doesn’t need to be complicated.
Teri Hamilton MEDICINE HAT
Parents should have a say in their child’s education, considering we pay for it, not the government.
Kari Souchuk RED DEER
I’m tired of my daughter bursting into tears when I help her with her math homework. Simple equations that should be straightforward to explain to her get met with “that’s not the way we are supposed to do it…that’s wrong…” Then I get to study what the lesson is trying to convey and I don’t get it either! Not smarter that a sixth grader apparently! Let them master basics and then they can grasp other strategies once the foundation is solid. P.S. She’s an honor student who has trouble with math.
Tim Sheppard ELK POINT
Don’t experiment with MY children.
Susan Andrew EDMONTON
I have a 9-year-old who is an excellent student and who enjoys math but does not enjoy math at school. This should not be the case.
Shahzeer Karmali EDMONTON
It is imperative kids are taught the basics. My daughter is taking Kumon to keep her skills up. What system do we live in? We should stop paying our taxes to this terrible government which fails to listen to the voters and taxpayers!!!
Wayne McIntosh CALGARY
Having enrolled our daughter in an after-school tutorial program, we have seen her basic math skills blossom. It is a shame that we have had to enroll our daughter in a tutorial program but the public school system is failing our children with their discovery learning theories.
Nicola DiNicola EDMONTON
My children have struggled with the new math and I am frustrated to know that I’m going to have to somehow “fix” a problem I didn’t create, a problem that constitutes a betrayal, by the government, of parents and teachers.
Elaine Unterschute EDMONTON
My grandson in grade 3 has been taught no math fundamentals in school – only at home. Math belongs at school and at home.
Ashwani Singh EDMONTON
Having just returned with my Grade 1 and 4 children from an extensive trip to India, I have witnessed the level of mathematics that our Alberta-educated children are years behind. We are setting up our children to fail against these competitors in the future.
S Chua CALGARY
My daughter is in the public school system. I found out from friends that the “New math” syllabus only applies to public schools, not chartered schools. That explains why my friends’ children who attend chartered school do not experience the anxiety and confusion which is common in our home during the “math homework hour.” Please bring the sensible math syllabus back to public school and instill a solid math foundation for the children!
Ron Nichol SHERWOOD PARK
This new and bogus method of teaching math reminds me of how the education researchers of a few years back crippled the reading skills of a generation with their “whole language” push. This new fiasco is nothing more than a bunch of academics trying desperately to justify their fat tenured salaries by publishing new solutions to non-existent problems.
Kathleen Dunn EDMONTON
Alberta had top marks worldwide in math in 2000, then the government decided to change the math curriculum to ask children to prove their outcomes. This approach to math is absolutely backwards. Children in elementary do not have the mental ability to provide proof at their age and stage. What is being asked of them is cognitive skills of High School or University level. Memorization is effective in giving children the basics in math problem solving in order to build on these essential learning blocks in later years as math becomes more abstract. …My grandson is in grade two and loves math, I want him to continue to feel successful in his math skills. This crazy way of teaching math is a lesson in defeatism. Stop this stupid method of math now!!!!!
Sherril Shortridge CALGARY
As a parent with 3 kids in public school, I see my kids increasingly frustrated by how math is taught. They understand the basics and can get the right answer but are told it is wrong because it is not creative. It is very obvious that those developing criteria for curriculum and methods for teaching live in a fairytale world and have no concept of the real business world.
Kimberly Jensen STRATHMORE
My daughter is in grade 6 and we constantly struggle helping her with her math homework. She is a very intelligent child who can pull the questions out of the word problems, but can’t complete the question because she doesn’t know her times tables! When discussing this with her math teacher, she simply agreed, saying all of her students are in the same position and struggle from here on in because they simply do not have the basics.
Gary Lodwig CALGARY
We have had to teach our elementary kids basic math skills and memorization of times tables to make up for the school system’s social experiment. We were told “That’s just memorization” – exactly right. At least some of them will be able to function when they are older.
John Logan EDMONTON
Approaches like this sound good in theory but the results are devastating to individuals and society.
Will Zaichkowski ST. ALBERT
I am appalled by the way math is being taught both to my High School-aged son and my elementary school aged-son. There is a lack of fundamental numeracy in the curriculum. The idea that basics as discovered and handed down for thousands of years are somehow suspect and set on par with some invented method (usually of the teacher and not the student) is ridiculous… I am angry and fed up because my 11-year-old does not know the basics and I have to teach him at home.
Kimberley Smyth STETTLER
As a mother of 6 children (ages 21 to 13) I have seen the math program implemented and believe it to be detrimental to the basic skills of Math!!! As a Parent Council member within Clearview School Division, we hear complaints from parents, and I myself have voiced my concerns in regards to the lack of basic math fundamentals in my own children.
Jennifer O’Neill DIDSBURY
I am signing this for all the kids who are about to start their school lives. I am signing this so that they do not go through what my daughter has gone through. I have pleaded with the schools that she does not understand basic math. Her grades are fantastic. But ask her a basic math question, and you get a blank look. What are you grading, Alberta? It sure is not comprehension of math.
Billy Chan CALGARY
As an engineer who depends on fundamental mathematical skills both inside and outside of my practice, I am appalled by the lack of fundamental mathematical skills such as the multiplications tables being taught in the elementary schools of Alberta. These skills are the building blocks that allow students to focus their efforts on more complicated problem solving skills. If a child is forced to so-call “discover” their way to mathematical understanding, we are in essence denying our children of the established teaching methods that has been tried, tested, and proven for centuries. This simply has to stop.
Jillian Buriak EDMONTON
I have two kids (Grades 6+9). I am lucky to be able to use my math classes (from Harvard) to teach them the math they are not getting. I worry about the other families who may not be able to make up for the poor math curriculum in schools. How much Kumon do they need to pay for? THIS IS WRONG!
Patricia Jager-Crneck MAYERTHORPE, AB
I have seen firsthand how pathetic the “new math” is and I am watching my stepson fall further and further down. Something is terribly wrong when a 13-year-old is incapable of adding 5+7, let alone understanding how to do long division and multiplication. And, even worse, when the Vice Principal and Special Needs (behavioural) do not see the problem with a child/teen achieving 10-20% in math
Moira Moore CALGARY
My daughter is now graduated, but she was introduced to the new math in grade 9. We had to hire tutors for her all through high school. Teachers should be teaching, not guiding.
“Time for this government to take action and be accountable.” Nawaz Jiwa
Nawaz Jiwa CALGARY
Lack of foresight by this government has led us to this… My appreciation to Dr.Nhung Tran-Davies for starting this petition. Now over to the Hon. Minister to take the lead and do something about this. I, as a parent of a 5-year-old, will certainly be watching this government’s actions or inactions before casting my vote in the next election. Enough is enough. No more talk. Time for this government to take action and be accountable to its citizens.
Nicole Hankey FORT SASKATCHEWAN
I am experiencing this first-hand with my daughter who is in Grade 5. I was appalled to find out this year that she doesn’t know her times tables and struggles with adding and subtracting double digits. I can’t tell you how many nights she has sat crying at the kitchen table telling me “we can’t do it that way, we aren’t supposed to!” …It’s disgusting and I feel like I’ve let my daughter down. Don’t trust the school system – question everything your child is learning and ask them to show you how they do it. The teachers are caught in a tight spot too – they aren’t supposed to say anything but realize the kids are far behind and struggling.
Cara Epp FORT MCMURRAY, AB
We have a 5th grade student who has had a math tutor for 1.5 years because she struggles to understand what they are trying to teach in math class. She has lost almost all confidence in her ability to do basic math problems. This must stop.
Armando Franco EDMONTON
I have a son that is having too much trouble with this new system. I had to teach him the old way of doing math and then the teacher gave him trouble for using what I taught him.
Bonnie Maguffee GRANDE PRAIRIE
I have a 14-year old son in the school system. The education system has lost sight of teaching the basics. You can’t learn to think if you lack the foundational information necessary to critical thinking.
Alicia Calvert STRATHCONA COUNTY
As a parent of 4 (3 of which are in K, Grade 2, and Grade 3) I am witnessing the struggles my children are having with basic math. If they cannot develop a strong foundation to build upon, there is no hope for retention and application. Why would we want to allow our children to struggle, and limit their options due to something so preventable?
Shannon Brown ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE
The system is failing our children and they are the ones that will lose out in the end. This problem is a slippery slope–poor grades, frustration, lack of enthusiasm about school, poor self-esteem. I’m so mad that Alberta Education cannot see this problem and see how detrimental this method of instruction is to our children!
Deanna Fedyniak EDMONTON
My daughter has just started elementary school, and she needs to learn the basics, not some convoluted way to do math that I won’t even be able to help her do. I was an honour student all through high school, and have a college degree, and if I can’t figure out how to get a “reasonable” answer, when she could have just memorized her multiplication tables, it is just not right.
Marnie Weckel SHERWOOD PARK
The irony is that my son’s math textbook is titled, Math Makes Sense. It does not make sense; adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing are exact; there is no estimation required. Please bring back math and the ability to teach this valuable life skill.
Darlene Tucker ALIX
I have two boys, one in Grade 3 and one in Grade 4. I volunteer regularly in their classrooms. When I have been volunteering or helping them with their Math homework, and I do not understand what answer the questions are looking for, this is a problem. I feel it is so important to have their basics (such as double-digit adding and subtracting and times tables) before adding the arbitrary: “Describe how you came to the answer.” They need to be able to get the right answer before being able to correctly describe the way they might have gotten an answer. We have had very good teachers and I feel that they are doing their best with this curriculum, but there needs to be changes.
Jessica Martin EDMONTON
I’m in my first year of high school. I SUCK at math! I find it ridiculous how hard math is. I feel like either the math is too hard, or the teachers are doing a horrible job teaching it!
John Kociuba ST. ALBERT
Watching children struggle in my son’s classes is sad to see. They do not understand the basic fundamentals today. Lack of the basics will hurt students later in life.
Evan Baranyk SLAVE LAKE
Math is important , we use it everyday. We employ young kids (18-19). Their basic math skills are horrible.
Brad Chalmers EDMONTON
Doing 2-4 hours of homework a night just to teach basic facts she should know.
Dawn Milton BEAUMONT
Children are getting very discouraged and lack confidence in math. This is leading to children being told to take lower math which then limits their post-secondary education. In the real world in any profession the basics are needed.
Deborah Kakoschke FORT SASKATCHEWAN
My two children, especially my youngest, went through school totally confused regarding math because the basic foundations of math (math facts or good old arithmetic) were never taught. The curriculum jumped very quickly from one thing to another and in such a manner that I was more confused than they were. I voiced concern many times but was ignored or laughed at.
“My daughter is suffering,” Betty Nelson
Betty Nelson SHERWOOD PARK
My daughter is suffering and [so are] many other children in her school. Many parents are having to outsource help as the schools will not provide extra help to them. All they do is keep passing them …
Stefan Kalyniuk CALGARY
As an engineer and as a father, I believe that success in advanced math is rooted in a firm grasp of mathematical fundamentals. From my personal experience, this intuitive understanding can only be gained through simple taught strategies and repetition.
Jennifer Kuntscher EDMONTON
My daughter is a victim of the New math program. She is in grade 6 and does not know her basic times tables! Why do we want to set our kids up for failure????
Marlene Jen EDMONTON
I think the ‘new math’ should be taught alongside the way math used to be taught. We had this discussion (5-6 years ago) at our elementary school (with the principal & a rep from Alberta Education) who insisted everyone all over the world was switching to this new way of teaching Math – including the Asian countries. I think NOT….
Janice Vian BROOKS
I am appalled at how hard it is for students to acquire basic math skills, because of the absence of instruction in the standard algorithms. Without these basics, math cannot become intuitively logical. Basic math skills are the language of science, so their absence prevents the learning of science. But on a very practical note, basic math skills are essential to money management.
Abhishek Malwankar LETHBRIDGE
Having understanding of fundamentals of Mathematic is an essential skill. Many youngsters drop out of college and/or high school as they lack the understanding of Mathematics and math-related concepts. Math is considered difficult by many of these youngsters due to lack in understandings of fundamental. This cause is definitely for the common good of our future generations.
Mae Chow DRAYTON VALLEY
As a parent of a 10-year-old and a university science degree and law graduate, watching the effect on our daughter’s confidence going from Grade 4 with the new math teachings to Grade 5 where the teacher recognizes the shortcomings of the curriculum has gone from heartbreaking and frustrating to enlightening and optimistic. We need to do something immediately.
Barbara Wynnyk EDMONTON
This is very important to me. Our son is really getting stressed with the Math in Grade 4 this year. Get back to the basics instead of explaining “why you think this answer is correct” or “how do you know this answer is correct.” As parents we are having a hard time too, with explaining it to him. Does the group that set up this NEW MATH have any children of their own?? Maybe if they did they would realize their way of thinking is for University Graduates, not elementary students!