Math in Special Education

939 Words2 Pages

There’s no denying that education is constantly changing, but what’s truly astounding is the difference that can be throughout the years in math. More is changing in math classrooms than the tools that are used. The expectations that 21st century students face are completely transforming the approach that’s being taken in classrooms across America. The United States wants to make sure its students are ready to compete on a global level, and teachers are stepping up to the plate. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) has led the movement for education reform in mathematics.
The NCTM began in the mid-1970’s and was a public voice of mathematics education that supported teachers, and tried to ensure learning of the highest quality for all students. This council set in motion a much needed discussion and debate about math in America’s school system. The NCTM set criteria for excellence rather than singular prescriptions for implementing “new best ways” (Wilson). In the 1980’s the focus of mathematics shifted to more of a critical thinking basis. In 1989 the National council of Teachers of Mathematics released a groundbreaking document, the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics (Burris 2012). This completely changed the standards for mathematics in schools. These standards advocate methods that emphasized mathematical power: conceptual understanding, problem solving, reasoning, connection building, communication, and self-confidence developing (Wilson). There were numerous changes, including 13 curriculum standards that were set to address both content and emphasis. One common theme to the NCTM Standards and to the recent changes in mathematics education is that “the study of mathemat...

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Education.com/references/article/history-mathematics
Wilson, J. “National Perspectives in Mathematics Education”. National Perspectives in Mathematics Education. N.p., n.d. Web 18 January 2014.
Jwilson.coe.uga.edu
Wu, H. “The Mathematician and the Mathematics Education Reform”. Department of Mathematics in California. Web 17 January 2014. math.berkely.edu Works Cited

Burris, A. “A Brief History of Mathematics Education and the NCTM Standards”. Education.com N.p., n.d. Web. 17 January 2014.
Education.com/references/article/history-mathematics
Wilson, J. “National Perspectives in Mathematics Education”. National Perspectives in Mathematics Education. N.p., n.d. Web 18 January 2014.
Jwilson.coe.uga.edu
Wu, H. “The Mathematician and the Mathematics Education Reform”. Department of Mathematics in California. Web 17 January 2014.
math.berkely.edu

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