One of the most fascinating sessions was related to teaching
and student understanding of mathematics in the United States. First, our (the US) scores in math on NAEP do
not look very good when compared to other OECD countries. Additionally, the US has shown progress in
student performance at the elementary level in math, but something happens
around 4th grade. The premise
of the session was that many of us (that’s so true for me) don’t have a good
concept or understanding of what’s behind the math. I watched as a former Los Angeles Unified
School District math teacher illustrated some of the important number concepts
that have to be taught nonverbally before moving to use of symbols and
numbers.
I know there was a push for the use of manipulatives to help
kids understand when I was a young teacher, but it is more than using pieces of
a pizza to understand some of the critical concepts like fractions. I think our Everyday Mathematics curriculum seeks to foster such understanding;
however, with technology we may be able to do an even better job.
With the recent and tragic events in Chardon, Ohio, the session
on school safety and security was so timely.
I learned how schools may be able broker existing resources to improve
safety and security.
It was interesting to
hear from the former Director of Security for the NY Public Schools share his
comments regarding the 9/11 attack. He
described the critical role of principals and teachers during this tragedy. The large and powerful NY school system was
prevented from getting buses to the disaster area and the district folks had no
communication with schools as cell and landlines were down in the area. Principals and school staff members were able to deal with the situation, and they were responsible for thousands of kids attending school within 80 yards of
the disaster. These kids all
got home safely.
Although each community
is different (for instance, we have a nuclear power plant), safety and security boils down to four
critical responsibilities for district and school leaders: Prevention, Preparation,
Response, and Recovery.
I also had a chance to interact with superintendents from across
the country in roundtable sessions. Despite
differences in geography and community makeup, we had one thing in common: Our
desire to diminish learning gaps for students.
I think I was able to steal some good ideas. I would say my efforts at school espionage
were successful today.
