I've been reflecting on my meeting with math colleagues last week. We met to discuss what types of enrichment activities we'd offer to our students. These are wonderful math teachers who are very dedicated to their students, who want to see them excel and you care deeply about the discipline of mathematics.
We hit roadblocks, I'll have to be honest. Our first hurdle, and I definitely sure we did not solve this problem, was how to keep the pace up of learning while some students lag behind. The class we were focused on is one that is designated for above average students....the course description is written so that parents and students know that the pace will be faster and the homework will be a higher level. Our dilemma is that the course is opt-in by parent/student decision.
I have no problem with that UNTIL the student can no longer keep up. When the student requires so much remediation that they are holding back the majority of other students and when the parents are frantic that their child is no longer getting "good enough" grades. As a teacher of this class, I can recommend that they move their child to the regular class, but it is utlimately the parent's decision. Often the parents decide based on things far, far removed from what's academically best for their child (ie. popularity concerns, community status concerns, etc).
To my mind there is no solution because you can't leave anyone behind even in the advanced class and you can't keep the pace up because you can't leave anyone behind. Extra tutoring, modified assignments, more tutoring, extra parent help....sometimes it isn't enough. I don't know how to make everyone into an exceptional student.
Luckily for me, I must be a persuasive voice. When I've had students that aren't succeeding, I've had pretty good success at helping parents arrive at the place where they move their student to a different class. The ironic part of all this is that no matter which class you are in during our middle school years, you'll arrive in 9th grade taking the same honors geometry class. Usually when you point this out to parents, they relax and move the student.
Second hurdle. Many teachers don't want to up the complexity of the instruction they are offering because they fear the lack of the "fun" factor. By that I mean they want to hang onto projects that are fun so kids will like math. Sometimes taking these advanced students into more open-ended problem solving won't win you points for being fun, but they learn to derive a different experience. I guess I'd probably define that as satisfaction...satisfaction from being challenged, failing, learning how not to fail the next time, and then being successful. In the end, I think they'll remember this kind of learning experience as favorably as those deemed "fun".
It takes courage to go with this kind of learning instead of fun. Dare I say that I find myself lonely at taking this view?
My solution to this roadblock is to keep on doing what I believe is best for students in the long run. I guess I'm sort of freed up because I don't care too much if my projects are fun. I mostly care if they earn themselves more self respect, if they grow in confidence and build their self esteem for legitmate reasons. We all have different students who we must "read" and respond to...so I will continue working on those open-ended problems with multiple solutions and teaching six or seven of the best problem solving strategies from MOEMs or Math Counts. It may sound too hard to others, but I have seen my students transform.
These are two pretty big roadblocks to finding a thriving, enriched math curriculum. You see the point of this class is to provide an extra punch of math if they are already conquering the curriculum without accelerating them onto the idea/concepts they'll have in future years. It isn't easy. Sometimes I wonder if it's even possible.
I also have a bead on some super fun projects that I will try to incorporate, too. Fun never hurt anyone and I'm up for that right along with the next guy.
