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Do the math
Hypatia’s June 1 and June 12 blog entries are well worth reading, as they deal with the importance of the importance of strong subject knowledge for math teachers. You probably don’t have to be a rocket scientist to grasp that students learn more from teachers who are really good at math. This theme is well explored in Knowing and Teaching Mathematics by Liping Ma, a book available from our lending library.
Unfortunately, the education system doesn’t accord high priority to subject matter knowledge, as demonstrated by the number of high school teachers who are assigned to teach “out of field”, as well as the very high percentage of elementary teachers who avoided math in university. When the EQAO asked Ontario grade 3 teachers whether they felt comfortable teaching mathematics, between 29% and 54% indicated some discomfort (depending on the area of mathematics), and between 38% and 54% of grade 6 teachers reported the same. Only 9% of grade 6 math teachers had taken at least one university math course. These statistics are available here (pp. 21 and 39).
It seems likely that Ontario kids would be doing better in math if fewer of their teachers were uncomfortable with the subject. Is this too much to ask?