Thread by @JoeMcFarland

Time for another one of my patented threads on #education in #Alberta. I couldn't let this one from @DavidStaplesYEG go unchecked. I know he tries to carry water for @jkenney but this one misses a lot of key points. Here we go... #ABleg edmontonjournal.com/opinion/column…

I don't know what it is but there seems to be a belief that if we could only slay the beast known as "discovery math", all will be good in the world. For anyone who has actually been in a classroom in the last decade, they know its more complex than that. #ABleg #education

Full disclosure (again because people tend to claim I have some sort of hidden agenda): my wife is a grade 3 teacher. I volunteer in her school fairly often. I've also covered education as a reporter & I'm a product of small town public schools. So I have observations & opinions.

While it is easy to pin the blame on discovery math, there are several other factors why I think math marks struggle. There is no one silver bullet, especially when you consider the dynamics at play in any one classroom, let alone across an entire province. #ABleg

Let's start with the big one, at least in my books, and that is the compounding of facts on top of unknown facts. I think we can all agree there are certain things kids should know by the end of each grade. By the end of grade 1, counting to 10 should be there. #ABleg #education

However, in some cases that doesn't happen & it can be for a variety of reasons. Maybe the student simply isn't a math mind. Maybe the teacher wasn't able to get through to the student. Maybe the student didn't get proper supports at home. Could be anything. #ABleg

But that student isn't going to be held back. That doesn't happen. Students are moved ahead to the next grade, where they are behind their peers. And I struggle with whether that is the right approach or not, because that student could be a brilliant Science or English mind.

So why hold them back because their mark in grade 1 math is behind others. However, that leaves them at a significant disadvantage when they try to keep up in subsequent grades. That gap will invariably continue to grow through the years as the classes get bigger. #ABleg

I think some people would be surprised at how wide the math skillset for a group of 25-30 grade 3 students can be. My wife's classes ranged in abilities from grade 1 to 6. How do you teach that class? Do you teach at the top & let everyone below struggle? Teach to the middle?

Or do you teach to the bottom & hold others back from excelling? In my wife's case, she team-teaches so they are able to split their classes a little more effectively so all kids can be challenged. But it still doesn't work for everyone. #ABleg

And while there are supports available for students who really struggle, it's not like it was "back in the day" where we had Special Ed classes. Everyone is all together now in what is called Inclusive Education. This is another one of those things I'm on the fence on. #ABed

On one hand, the kids need to be amongst their peers & shouldn't be segregated in ways that can allow for bullying, etc. But are they being strung along in a system that allows them to fail in certain areas. So it ends up pitting social acceptance against grade scores. #ABleg

We could also go down another rabbit hole in this debate & it is home life. Some parents treat school like a glorified babysitter. They view school work as being a teacher's job while it's their job to get to them to hockey or gymnastics or whatever. #ABleg #education

I've seen parents ridicule & berate teachers for giving homework to their kids on a hockey practice night, saying it's unacceptable, even though the kid wouldn't have had homework had he worked in class instead of socialized. Forget "discovery math." Math didn't belong at home.

I could go on for days & days on this stuff. There are many rabbit holes you can go down, from the differences in teaching styles to report cards to how many kids seem to have ADD or ADHD & the effects on already crowded classrooms. #ABleg

Don't get me wrong: I'm not 100% sold on discovery math either. I view it as another tool in the tool chest for those kids who can't memorize facts & need another option in figuring out facts like what 8x7 equals. Every kid is different so teachers need options. #ABleg

Without those options, kids will invariably fall through the cracks anyways. The challenge in all of this is the more individualized these learning styles are, the more time is needed. And anyone who has been in a classroom lately knows how busy it is already with 25-30 kids.

Like I said: boatload of rabbit holes. That's why @DavidStaplesYEG is being overly simplistic in his belief that one thing will fix the system & save @jkenney from the hole he has dug himself. But we need observations & opinions from people who have been in these classrooms.

And we need to have frank discussions about them as well. It's not enough to say "I have a kid in school" because it doesn't mean you have spent meaningful time to understand the dynamics of a classroom. Actually know these kids & see their specific situations. #ABleg

We can't fix anything by trying to find a silver bullet for a system that is stuck in the 20th century. I remember my teachers saying I wouldn't have a calculator everywhere I went. Guess what? I do. So how does the system adapt to that? #education

Those are the kinds of questions we should be having. How do we adapt to the changing realities we face as a society. We shouldn't be debating going back to the archaic memorization practices of the 20th century. This isn't partisan. It's fact. #ABleg #Alberta

So what are we doing to get our kids are ready for the 2030's? We don't need them to be ready for the 1990's. We need forward thinkers in not only delivery of #education but also curriculum & more. And it starts with thorough conversations like the one I hope this starts. #ABleg