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After reading that Canadian students are performing much better than American students on international math assessments, I decided to talk with my neighbor who moved to Elkins from Canada twenty some years ago. Her children have gone to school in Elkins while her brother's children have attended school near Toronto, Ontario. My neighbor has noticed that the curriculum in the Canadian system is more rigorous. She sent me a website showing how parents learned about curriculum updates in Ontario in June 2020. For this column I will print below what I learned about the math curriculum in Ontario.
The Ontario Curriculum: Mathematics, Grades 1 to 8 was last updated in 2005.
Today, there have been advances in education on: 1. how students learn and engage in math; 2. role financial literacy and coding plays in a student's life today and in the future; 3. how technology can enhance learning; and 4. how to access and interact with information.
Two years before the new curriculum was published, parents, educators, organizations and the general public provided feedback to the Ministry of Education. More than 70 % of respondents identified the following areas that were needed to improve academic achievement in math:
1. focus on fundamental math concepts and skills; 2. include practical examples of math; 3. enhance teacher training and resources; and 4. give elementary students more opportunities to learn about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
The new curriculum was also informed by expert knowledge and research, best practices from other jurisdictions across Canada and around the world, and input from stakeholders, academics and math education and industry experts.
Changes and key learning to the curriculum include: 1. focusing on fundamental math concepts and skills, such as learning and recalling number facts -- including multiplication fact tables from 0 to 12 (0×0 to 12×12); and 2. using current examples that help students see math in their everyday lives. Key learning to ensure students are future-ready includes: 1. coding skills starting in Grade 1 to improve students' ability to become problem solvers and develop fluency with technology; 2. developing an understanding of the value and use of money over time and consumer awareness through learning about financial literacy; 3. creating & reading infographics and collecting and analyzing data to make arguments, and 4. inform decisions & predictions.
Social-Emotional Learning Skills The development of social-emotional learning (SEL) skills supports students' overall health and well-being. SEL skills help students develop confidence, cope with challenges, learn from mistakes, build perseverance, and think critically.
Throughout the curriculum, students learn to apply these skills to help them deepen their understanding of math concepts and apply them in their everyday lives.
Next week we will take a look at the West Virginia math curriculum goals.