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In 1970, employers named “computational skills” among the things they most desired in prospective workers. This meant using mental and physical procedures to solve math problems quickly.
Imagine a time traveler from 1970 flexing their computational speed and accuracy by balancing a hand-written ledger book. Their coworkers might smile politely before introducing them to a spreadsheet. Or the door. In 2024, computational speed and accuracy is the purview of compact machines, like the powerful one in your pocket.
This said, mathematics instruction is more important than ever. Although computational skills may have dropped out of the top 10 skills employers are looking for today, problem-solving, critical thinking, and teamwork have risen to the top of the list. The question for math educators now: what kind of a course builds the skills crucial to all of our students in a changing world?
Here is a list of the essential math practices identified by the Common Core Standards in Mathematics:
- Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them
- Reason abstractly and quantitatively
- Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others
- Model with mathematics
- Use appropriate tools strategically
- Attend to precision
- Look for and make use of structure
- Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning
Sequoia has been deeply engaged in this work over the last decade, including the overhaul by the International Baccalaureate of its math course designs. As an IB school, this means Sequoia’s IB math offerings were updated, as well. Upon completion of their Algebra and Geometry requirements, Sequoia students choose from multiple IB pathways aligned with college-level math and 21st Century ideas about numeracy.
Students more interested in real-life applicable math choose the IB Applications pathway. Students with a theoretical bent – you know them by how their eyes light up making connections between abstract topics in math – choose the IB Analysis pathway. Opportunities to engage in challenging problem-solving abound in both courses.
Our math department works closely to align our curriculum and methods of assessment across all math classes in order to set our students up for success on whichever rigorous pathway they choose. Many teachers move between Algebra or Geometry one period to an IB Math class the next. In a way, this gives them the ability to calibrate in real time. The results are encouraging: IB scores in math at Sequoia made a big jump last year, just three years from when we implemented new courses.
If you visit a math class at Sequoia, you’ll see students using white boards to set up problem-solving steps. You’ll hear iterative discussions. You’ll see facilitation rather than lecture. Feedback will be growth-oriented; errors are evidence of learning. Like a workplace…in 2024.
Have a great week!
Best,
Sean
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