Discovery: Using What We Know

UO College of Education faculty is noted for research that improves teaching practices. Graduate and undergraduate students at the college learn by working with faculty members exploring at the leading edge of research in their fields.

Associate Professor Jill Baxter knows how aspiring educators can best prepare young students to be proficient in math: “Decades of research suggest that, when the goal is to help children develop proficiency in mathematics, we need to help them learn to think strategically,” says Baxter. But traditional math instruction has only gone so far in bringing about that goal:

“For years, we’ve done a great job of educating a very small percentage of the population,” says Baxter. “Our Nobel Prize winners, brilliant scientists, and mathematicians come from a long tradition of meeting the needs of a privileged top group of kids. But most students don’t get past algebra: we’ve overwhelmed them with the computational—or how-to-do-it—part of proficiency, until they want out of math.”

“Many students never experience the excitement of posing an interesting question and then using mathematical reasoning to solve it,” says Baxter. “Students rarely experience math this way. We need to create more opportunities in school to develop their mathematical proficiency, which will serve them well in many walks of life and professions.”

:: Why Is It So Important to Teach Math?
:: How Is It Most Effective to Teach Math?