Mathematics education of Manitoba teachers should be based on research

Opinion

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This article was published 13/11/2024 (322 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MAGGIE Macintosh’s recent article Relaxed math teacher certification a fail for students: educators (Nov. 6) highlights the response of some mathematicians to changes that Manitoba Education has made in the admissions requirements for teachers. As a mathematics education researcher, teacher educator, and former associate dean overseeing admissions in a faculty of education, I see the changes that Manitoba Education has made as a positive step toward better mathematics education in our province.

Importantly, the recent changes mean that Manitoba’s teacher certification requirements are better aligned with current research in mathematics education.

Notably, research shows that early and middle years teachers (grades K-8) who have taken more undergraduate university courses in mathematics are not more effective teachers of mathematics. That is, their students do not have better outcomes in mathematics.

In fact, some studies have shown that K-8 students actually have lower achievement in mathematics if their teachers have more undergraduate courses in mathematics. This key finding may seem counterintuitive and so I want to unpack some research that explains a few essential elements of effective teacher preparation in mathematics.

One distinction that needs to be pointed out is that undergraduate courses in mathematics which are taught in university mathematics departments are very different from mathematics education courses that are taught in faculties of education.

Research shows that effective mathematics teaching in K-12 classrooms requires a deep understanding of what is sometimes called “mathematics knowledge for teaching,” or MKT. At the heart of MKT is the fact that teachers need to understand mathematics in ways that are very different from how physicists, chemists, engineers or mathematicians engage with mathematics.

Teachers need to understand mathematics concepts such as fractions, proportional reasoning, spatial sense and algebra in ways that will enable them to support all children to learn these concepts. Unlike engineers and physicists, mathematics teachers need to be familiar with a number of ways of explaining and representing these mathematics concepts and of engaging in mathematical thinking.

Much research has been done to understand how these concepts are learned and should be taught. This research is what mathematics education courses in faculties of education across Canada focus on. These courses are based on more than 30 years of mathematics education research as well as current theories of learning, not on opinion.

Notably, research also shows that the approaches to teaching and learning in many courses in undergraduate mathematics programs do not reflect research about effective mathematics teaching methods in K-12 classrooms.

Sometimes this is due to large class sizes in undergraduate mathematics courses or to the wide range of students who are taking these courses as part of various undergraduate degrees. Regardless of these circumstances, it is vital that Manitoba’s future mathematics teacher have first-hand experiences with research-based approaches to mathematics teaching and learning. Mathematics education courses in faculties of education model these approaches whereas undergraduate mathematics courses in mathematics departments may not use these approaches.

Fortunately, every student in the B.Ed program in the faculty of education at University of Manitoba who is studying to be K-8 teacher must successfully complete at least two courses in mathematics education.

In addition, every student in the senior years B.Ed. program who plans to teach mathematics in grades 9-12 both enters the B.Ed. program with undergraduate mathematics credits and also takes mathematics education courses during their B.Ed. program.

In these courses, B.Ed. students learn about the mathematics curriculum and how to teach mathematics in their respective grades drawing on current mathematics education research.

The recent changes made by Manitoba Education do not change any of these requirements within the B.Ed. program.

Thus, Manitoba’s future teachers will still take mathematics education courses focused on the knowledge and skills they need to teach effectively. These B.Ed. courses alongside the ongoing professional learning experiences offered through post-baccalaureate programs and by organizations such as the Manitoba Association of Mathematics Teachers (part of the Manitoba Teachers’ Society) are the best ways to improve mathematics outcomes for students in Manitoba’s K-12 classrooms.

The changes that Manitoba Education has made are an important part of ensuring that mathematics education in Manitoba is reflective of the research.

Notably, these changes, which will now align with admissions requirements in several other provinces, will also reduce the number of highly qualified individuals who leave Manitoba every year to complete their teacher education program in other provinces, increasing the number of applicants and prospective teachers.

I urge Manitoba Education to stick with the research-based changes they have made. Decisions about admissions to B.Ed. programs and teacher certification must be based on internationally recognized mathematics education research. Anything less would be a disservice to the students, families and teachers in our province.

Martha Koch is an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba.