If Prelude to Algebra is so good, and the Prelude approach has been used in one form or another for 40 years, why doesn’t everyone teach middle school math this way?
That’s a very good question. When the early versions of the text were used in California in the 60s and 70s, it was very popular with the teachers and the students. [Click here for testimonials] But beginning about that time, the focus of math educational reform shifted from trying to improve the content to looking for better pedagogy—new ways to package the same old product. The “professional” educators simply were not interested in better ways to explain the concepts. Fortunately, this has changed in recent years. For example, Dr. H. Wu, professor of mathematics at UC Berkeley and a member of the President’s National Mathematics Advisory Panel, argues forcefully that “great pedagogy lavished on incorrect mathematics makes bad education.” [Wu; 2005, p. 27] In other words, if we want to improve math education, we need to improve the math. This is exactly what Prelude to Algebra does.
Related Questions
- Is Prelude to Algebra just for middle school pre-algebra, or can it be used in a high school "Foundations" class as well?
- approach has been used in one form or another for 40 years, why doesn’t everyone teach middle school math this way?
- I teach preschool, middle school, or high school. Can I use the Responsive Classroom approach?
