Teachers welcome 'math experts' to improve student learning

Having new math experts in elementary schools comes as welcome news for teachers who were left shaking their heads at the latest abysmal provincial test results.

Half of all Grade 6 students in Ontario failed to meet the provincial math standard this year, which prompted the provincial government to promise changes this week in its speech from the throne.

• Only 50% of Grade 6 students met the province's math standard
• 5 promises government makes in the speech from the throne

Premier Kathleen Wynne's government promised to overhaul kindergarten to Grade 12 curriculum with a group of "education leaders" looking at Ontario's low math marks.

Having math leaders in schools will allow teachers to collaborate on best practices and help students get over that overwhelming belief they are naturally incapable of doing math, explained Simone Meo, a Grade 6 teacher at Queen Victoria Public School in Windsor, Ont.

She has already worked with colleagues to come up with ways to change students' opinions about math.

"We have to approach mathematics in a different way," she said. "Children believe they're either born good at math or not."

Changing the game

Meo's classroom techniques sound similar to sports mantras as she drills home the point anyone can get better at math.

Shouting questions at her students, Wednesday, she encouraged students to be unafraid of making mistakes.

"When you make a mistake in math, how do you think you should feel?" she asked.

"Positive," every student responded in a unified response.

When asked about famous people who were once told they would never amount to anything, students individually list off names like Albert Einstein, Michael Jordan, Thomas Edison and The Beatles.

Meo also introduces electronics and technology, like cellphonesand tablets,into learning exerciseswhenever she can. Limiting herself to chalkboards would only deter students from engaging even further, she explained.

"In this day and age, the chalkboard is ancient and, if you want to keep the kids engaged, you have to implement technology in the classroom," she said.