A Mile Wide And An Inch Deep

I served as a Math teacher for fourteen years. One thing that has always been an issue is the Math curriculum. There are several standards to cover while also trying to stick with a pacing guide. This is a struggle across the country.

I have always said that the Math curriculum was a mile wide and an inch deep. There’s a lot that teachers are expected to teach, but not a lot of time to really dig deeper into the content. How could Math instruction be different if we were to seriously take a look at the standards that needed to be taught in more detail and those that are not as essential.

The work begins by first deciding what students absolutely need to know for their grade level. Are there certain standards that are easier to teach than others? Another thing to consider is the blueprint for state assessments. Traditionally, what standards are most used on state assessments and what standards support student learning for them?

Next, work needs to be done looking at the curriculum and the pacing guide. How much time needs to be dedicated to those standards that are more difficult and assessed often? This would take a committee of people dedicated to truly making the curriculum better.

The ultimate goal is to make Math curriculums better for teachers and students. Both teachers and students need more time to get into some standards. Just think of the learning and creativity that could take place if teachers were given the time to really teach a concept with depth and complexity.

We could begin to see student achievement increase and also teacher efficacy increase. When students are confident in their knowledge it could lead into them being successful and more willing to take risks in their learning of other topics. Taking time to make improvements could change Math instruction for the better.