Name: Math class needs a makeover
Uploaded: 2010-05-13T08:23:00Z
Duration: 11 min 22 s
Description: Today's math curriculum is teaching students to expect -- and excel at -- paint-by-numbers classwork, robbing kids of a skill more important than solving problems: formulating them. Dan Meyer shows classroom-tested math exercises that prompt students to stop and think.

Today's math curriculum is teaching students to expect -- and excel at -- paint-by-numbers classwork, robbing kids of a skill more important than solving problems: formulating them. Dan Meyer shows classroom-tested math exercises that prompt students to stop and think.

Math class needs a makeover

Current math classrooms reward following formulas instead of developing genuine reasoning. Textbooks walk students through predictable problems, leaving them unprepared for real-world challenges. In one vivid example, students can pass physics units by decoding textbook patterns rather than understanding physics itself. Revamping lessons to spark conversation and intuition helps students become patient, creative problem solvers.