Connection

Professors Set the Standard for Teaching in the 21st Century

A large percentage of the U.S. population is “math phobic,” says Jill Baxter, who instructs future teachers of mathematics in the UO’s College of Education. Why? Because of the way some of us have been taught math.

Math instruction needs to go beyond simply finding the right answer, says Baxter. “We need to help students learn to understand and think strategically. And, most importantly, we need to help all students experience themselves as capable of posing and solving mathematical problems.”

Baxter began her pioneering research of math and science instructional methods at Stanford University and continues her investigations at Oregon, developing new ways for elementary and middle school teachers to help their students achieve true understanding and proficiency in mathematics. In 2005, Baxter received a $1.8-million National Science Foundation grant to study professional development for teachers of science and mathematics at the elementary level.

Baxter teaches her students to create lessons that will encourage children to think about math problems at a conceptual level instead of simply memorizing computational formulas. She demonstrates using a variety of hands-on tools—blocks, puzzles, posters, and even pumpkins—to increase children’s understanding of the “why” and not just the “how” of mathematics.