This page will serve as my Capstone Project - Global Education Guide.
My overarching question is about math teaching in India. Teachers in the U.S. have a continued conversation about the balance between teaching content, and teaching conceptual understanding in mathematics. It is the difference between memorizing the formula for the Area of a Triangle as 1/2b*h, or conceptualizing that every triangle is half of a parallelogram. How do Indian math teachers combine this balance of understanding mathematical processes and the reason and purpose behind them.
Mathematical Content:
Others have written about what should be taught in mathematics classes, and what most educational bodies end up with is a set of standards. Here are Pennsylvania's Common Core Standards, and here are the standards for Mahe, India, my field site.
Mathematical Concepts:
These are the ideas behind the content, and often the most difficult to encompass within traditional math courses. Project based learning where students have a real life problem and use mathematics as a tool to illuminate it are among the best opportunities for building conceptual understanding. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics lists seven practices that build this understanding.
Word Problems
In my experience the practices listed here are the gold standard that all teachers hope to achieve. In some teaching scenarios, innovative approaches have given students ample opportunities for these types of lessons. However, in many instances, limited time and resources are obstacles.
Additionally, math classrooms can end up focused on content, which does not necessarily lead to conceptual understanding.
The bottom line is this. Teachers need more time, and more resources to do more authentic word problems.
Unit Guide - Global Education Project
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