1. Leading in CONTEXT... Looking at politics and progress in the world of mathematics education Cathy Seeley Charles A. Dana Center University of Texas January 20, 2010 (2 nd Cohort; Session 2)

2. Today’s World Shrinking, connecting, flattening* Panic/Participation Every person can have a chance, probably for a future we can’t see.

3. Profile of Successful Workers Top academic performance Creative and innovative Able to learn very quickly skillscommission.org/executive.htm

5. How to Build a 21 st Century Student “This is a story about the big public conversation the nation is not having about education, the one that will ultimately determine not merely whether some fraction of our children get "left behind" but also whether an entire generation of kids will fail to make the grade in the global economy because they can't think their way through abstract problems, work in teams, distinguish good information from bad or speak a language other than English.” TIME, Dec. 18, 2006

7. “The U.S. has 3 million jobs going begging.” “People thrown out of shrinking sectors such as construction, finance, and retail lack the skills and training for openings in growing fields including education, accounting, health care, and government.” Business Week, May 11, 2009

8. Two goals More workers in math- and science-based fields (STEM) Every student quantitatively and scientifically literate and able to reason, think, and solve problems to much more sophisticated levels than in the past Copyright Cathy Seeley 2009

9. Partnership for 21st Century Skills www.21stcenturyskills.org

10. Core subjects 21 st -century themes - Global Awareness; Civic Literacy; Health Literacy; Financial, Economic, Business, Entrepreneurial Literacy Learning and innovation skills - Creativity, Innovation, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, Communication and Collaboration Information, Media and Technology Skills - Information Literacy, Media Literacy, ICT Literacy Life and Career Skills - Flexibility,Adaptability, Initiative, Self-Direction, Social/Cross-Cultural Skills, Productivity, Accountability, Leadership and Responsibility Partnership for 21st Century Skills www.21stcenturyskills.org 12/08

11. 21st Century Skills? Jay Mathews: “How are millions of students still struggling to acquire 19 th -century skills in reading, writing and math supposed to learn this stuff?” Washington Post, January 5, 2009

12. 21st Century Skills? “At its heart, say [E.D.] Hirsch and others, the conflict is about what should happen in a school day: Do kids learn to think by reading great literature, doing difficult math and learning history, philosophy and science? Or can they tackle those subjects on their own if schools simply teach them to problem-solve, communicate, use technology and think creatively?” USA Today, March 5, 2009

13. What would your response be to Jay Matthews and/or E.D. Hirsch?

14. Responses to Jay Mathews... Maybe we need to get rid of some of our 19 th -century expectations in mathematics, especially for those students. Maybe we need to teach mathematics differently, whichever century’s skills we want students to learn. Maybe the 21 st -century provides us with tools (technological and teaching) to allow ALL students to learn ALL the mathematics they need to.

15. Responses to E.D. Hirsch... Why are these the only two options? Maybe kids can learn to think not BY reading great literature or doing hard math, but WITH and THROUGH and WHILE doing challenging, yet engaging and relevant literature or math.... with the guidance of a good teacher. Cathy Seeley 2009

16. What’s going on and who’s doing it? National Standards? (Common Core Standards) Current voices: U.S. Department of Education NCTM Achieve, Inc. Council of Chief State School Officers and National Governor’s Association ACT The College Board Others?

17. What math do all students need? The Big Three: Understanding math (making sense of it) Doing math (skills, facts, procedures) Using math (thinking, reasoning, applying, solving a range of problems) The New Basic: deep transferable skills for versatilizing The right math for options and a secure economic future

18. What are some reasons why some students might not achieve the level of mathematics we want them to? (not discussed at session)

19. What tools do students need? Computational tools (mental, paper, technology) Representational tools (paper, technology, other...) Collaboration tools (teamwork, communication*) *oral/written; personal/technology; with and about mathematics; working/presenting Lifelong learning tools (using information, perseverance, learning to learn for life) Citizenship/Ethics tools (morality, integrity, equity, responsibility, compassion, accepting diversity)

20. What tools do teachers need? Mathematical content knowledge and understanding A strong, diverse set of teaching strategies and approaches: effectively working with groups focusing/connecting student learning creating teacher-structured, not teacher-centered learning Commitment to and belief in all students learning high-quality mathematics

21. What are some reasons why some teachers might not achieve the level of teaching we want them to? (not discussed at session)

22. What tools do leaders need? The ability to articulate and support a vision The courage to take risks and take a stand The insight to practice what we preach The willingness and commitment to keep on learning The wisdom to rely on your networks The habit of giving away credit The perseverance to keep on going

23. What tools do you want to develop? The ability to articulate and support a vision The courage to take risks and take a stand The insight to practice what we preach The willingness and commitment to keep on learning The wisdom to rely on your networks The habit of giving away credit The perseverance to keep on going

24. E-mail: cseeley@mail.utexas.edu Faster Isn’t Smarter--Messages About Math, Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century mathsolutions.com/fasterisntsmarter Or Amazon.com Websites: http://cathyseeley.com http://csinburkinafaso.com