Let Them See Clearly

Magic is just Science we don't understand yet. - Jane Foster in the movie Thor

My son is taking Algebra this school year. Algebra, a class we all remember. It had variables. We did equations. Each of us knows because we were there. We all took the class twenty or thirty years ago. We think we remember it but do we. To be honest, I don't. I remember FOIL. I remember variables. I truly don't remember the curriculum objectives or the activities. Mostly I remember where I sat in the class. So my son is taking Algebra and I really have no idea of what he is actually going to learn.

The Algebra story could be said for any course. Whether it's third grade (I think we were supposed to learn cursive and multiplication), Civics, Physics, or Global Studies, the story is the same, the name of the course obscures the meaning. So often as parents and students we see the big picture of the course name and the little picture of the individual assignments but don't see the middle steps - the curriculum objectives one is actually learning. It is here that meaning is established.

According to the "New Illinois Learning Standards", which can be found at http://isbe.net/common_core/default.htm  (New Illinois Learning Standards - feels local.... website link feels national, but hey, what's in a name) we learn to add and subtract fractions in fourth grade. I don't know that off the top of my head, when I think fourth grade math, I don't necessarily think fractions. Now that I know it's something I can wrap my head around, focus on, and support my child in learning. When I think adding and subtracting fractions, I don't necessarily think of each individual skill adding like fractions, subtracting like fractions, converting denominators, computing improper fractions, renaming whole numbers as fractions for computation, and converting mixed numbers into fraction for computation. When focusing on the concept, 4th grade math is too broad for me to understand what my child is learning. The daily lesson of computing improper fractions is a means both too numerous (170 individual lessons in the year) and too narrow (a 1-2 day skill) for me to generate meaning. However, the curriculum objective, my child can add and subtract fractions, is something meaningful that I can wrap my head around. If my child is successful in it, I know they can move on and have a tangible skill that will at least help them when they cook or bake. If they don't get it, then I can dive deeper and help them work on the 6-8 lessons underneath until they understand it. The curriculum objective is a meaningful chunk for me, my child, and the teacher. 

Grades and grading systems often serve more to obscure our understanding of a child's performance than to clarify it. What is an "A"? A child earned more than 90% on a test or in a class? Well, who was writing the test? What was the test on? What was learned in the class? Was the "A" on a curve? In one class I took, an a was 37% on a test because of the curve. Did anyone really learn anything in the class? Was what was assessed what was learned? The class was called "Physical Chemistry," what does that name mean to you? In reality, I as student don't need to be normatively ranked in the class. I can tell you who the faster and slower learners are without the grades. What my parents and I need to know is have I mastered adding and subtracting fractions. If so, great lets move on. If not, help me figure out how to understand it because I want to make homemade cookies later tonight.

My son is taking Algebra this school year. I love my child's math teacher. Each week he sends out a note to parents and students identifying the big idea the students will be learning this week. He flips his classroom with videos on how to do the concept so that the students can review and practice the concept until they feel comfortable with it. When a child doesn't master a concept, they can keep working on it until they get it. Last year, with this teacher, was the first year my child didn't know all the math instantaneously. Many times he had to go back to the drawing board to learn and relearn how to find surface areas or complete algebraic expressions (did you know we teach algebraic concepts well before kids take "Algebra). In the end, he had to issue a grade. Three months later, my son no longer remembers his grade. In his mind, it was an A or B, either way he passed. He does know he can calculate surface area and volume of unique objects. He is seeing learning clearly not because of the name of the class, not because of the grade, but because the teacher has turned Magic into Science. He has created meaningful chunks of learning for his students to master and let the students and parents see it.

I Can See Clearly Now