On Second Thought:

ON SECOND THOUGHT:

COUNTER ARGUMENT TO THE “21st CENTURY EDUCATION” IDEA

Some say that the purpose of Common Core math is about building and promoting 21st century skills. It is a line of thinking that reasons that because our society is quickly changing and technology keeps advancing by leaps and bounds, there needs to be a different approach to math education. There needs to be a “new” emphasis on creativity, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking.

Math teaching guru Max Ray-Riek contends that these are not “new” approaches to math. Ray-Riek argues that these strategies are not being implemented simply because they are more relevant to today’s society. These strategies are, and have always been pedagogically sound teaching strategies. Ray-Riek expounds on this topic in this Ignite talk given at a math teaching conference.

* In an “Ignite Talk,” presenters get 20 slides, which automatically advance every 15 seconds. The result is a fast, fun information-filled presentation that lasts just 5 minutes.