Worksheets and Daily Practice – the only way to Master the Basics

The U.S. is falling behind the world in math. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said, "We are lagging the rest of the world, and we are lagging it in pretty substantial ways."

A special analysis put out by the National Center for Education Statistics found that the math performance of U.S. high schoolers was in the bottom quarter of the countries that participated in the most recent Program for International Student Assessment.

Results of the 2009 ACT and SAT show that U.S. students are no better in math this year than they were last year. Math performance has improved in other countries while it has remained stagnant in the U.S.

These findings are disturbing in an increasingly global economy where careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are becoming progressively more important for nations to compete internationally.

According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the proportion of students obtaining STEM degrees from U.S. universities has dropped from 32 percent to 27 percent over the past decade. At the same time, the percentage of non-U.S. students earning these degrees from U.S. universities has increased dramatically.

In The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, Thomas Friedman argues that getting more Americans to pursue careers in STEM fields is critical to the future of our nation's economy. Friedman is not alone in his opinion.

The National Science Foundation reports that non-U.S. graduates from U.S. universities accounted for more than half of the doctorate recipients in physics (58 percent), computer sciences (65 percent), engineering (68 percent), and mathematics (57 percent). The most numerous of these non-U.S. graduates were from China, India, and South Korea. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development found that over 40 percent of non-U.S. doctoral degree recipients intended to leave the U.S.

Not only are we losing ground to non-U.S. citizens at our own universities, but we're also falling behind other nations. The U.S. is no longer the leader in STEM education. In absolute numbers, Japan and China are producing more graduates. Our rate of STEM to non-STEM graduates is roughly 17 percent while the international average is nearly 26 percent. We're not even keeping pace with some developing countries.

In the U.S., we used to focus on basic computation skills when we taught students traditional math. Ever since the U.S. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics developed standards for school math in 1989, many U.S. schools starting teaching reform math.

But Japan and Taiwan are teaching math the way we used to teach it; they're focusing on basic computation skills. Hong Kong, Singapore, and South Korea--all top performers in math--are also focusing on the basics. Even the cram schools, which are prevalent in Asia, focus on the basics.

Traditional math emphasizes basic computation skills and algorithms that lead to the correct answer while reform math places more value on the thinking process that leads to any answer.

Both of these skills are needed. However, the major problem with reform math is that it puts the cart before the horse by trying to teach students abstract concepts of math before they have built strong foundational skills. With traditional math, students often work individually on worksheets. With reform math, they often work in groups cutting, pasting, and coloring.

Sure, worksheets and algorithms are boring compared to gluing stuff and explaining how you came up with an answer that may not even be correct, but which method will better prepare our students to compete in an increasingly global economy?
America, let's get back to worksheets.

Pinecone Active Learning provides daily worksheet practice at just the right level for your child. This daily practice leads to mastery and real understanding. There is just no substitute. Please visit http://pineconelearning.com/ for more info.

In the past couple of decades, innovation, especially Internet-related, has been moving faster than we can educate ourselves to apply advancing technologies. Thus, the shortfall of the supply of advanced skills relative to the demand for them is pressing the wages of the less skilled. The insights that advance cutting-edge technologies emerge from a very small part of the workforce.

While low-skilled jobs are being automated and replaced with computer programs, corporate managers persistently identify the lack of skilled workers as one of today’s greatest ongoing problems and are willing to bid up pay packages to acquire them.

While globalization and technology are causing increased disparities of wealth concentration in many countries, the U.S. seems to have a disproportionate disparity. In his book, The Age of Turbulence, Greenspan attributes this disparity to our “dysfunctional elementary and secondary education”. Up until about 4th grade, our students fare pretty well in comparison to other leading nations, but by the time they are seniors in high school they have fallen well below average. Greenspan asks the question: “What do we do to (these students’) learning process that requires business recruiters to dismiss vast numbers of ‘educated’ applicants for modestly skilled jobs because they cannot write coherent sentences or add a column of numbers accurately?”

So, our needs for highly skilled technicians and upper-level management are multiplying much faster than our graduating students can fill them – we must import increasing numbers of qualified and educated people from other countries. Greenspan further notes that our biggest educational weakness is in math and we need to consider alternatives to how we hire and pay our teachers as well as whom we allow to come to our schools and teach….

Here is what Thomas Friedman, author of The World is Flat has to say:

“The dot com boom left too many people with the impression that they could get rich without investing in hard work. All it took was an MBA and a quick IPO, or one NBA contract and you were set for life. Who needed an education? Who needed to sweat over an engineering degree? But while we were admiring the flat world we had created, a lot of people in India, China and Eastern Europe were busy figuring out how to take advantage of it. Lucky for us, we were the only economy standing after World War II, and we had no serious competition for forty years. That gave us a huge head of steam, but gradually bred a sense of entitlement and a culture of complacency.”

It takes 15 years to train an engineer or scientist starting with when (if) they get hooked on math in elementary school. We do not have time to fill the ever-widening gap that will be left by retiring baby-boomers and the continually decreasing numbers of graduating engineers and scientists from American Universities and Colleges. We may need to rely on foreign talent at least until we can repair our lower education system. But we also can employ immediate measures to fill the education gap on an individual basis. This will require supplemental education aimed specifically at remediation and mastery of basic concepts in math, reading and writing.

Pinecone Active Learning offers this program.
Please visit http://pineconelearning.com for more info.

Teaching children math

Teaching math to your kids is essential – not just because they need those skills for excelling in schoolwork but also for implementing that knowledge in daily life activities. Learning math can be complicated for some kids, as each child is unique, and their ways to grasp and understand concepts can differ from individual to individual. To learn math in an environment where illustrations and visual implements are used in a caring and supportive atmosphere, is something that can help the child tremendously. As parents you would want your child to sharpen his/her math skills, without rushing them to understand the subject, at his/her own pace and learning style. Pinecone Active Learning Center offers tutoring services for kids in a positive, fun environment.

Math Homework help

Pinecone Active Learning Center is based in Santa Clara County, California. The tutors will help every child set a strong foundation in concepts and skills which need more focus and concentration so that it will help them see an improvement in their attitude towards the subject and gain a better understanding of the concepts. This, in turn will improve their self-confidence to secure better marks and obtain a good grade. This Active Learning Center was started by Vivian Hobbs, who has used the best methods for learning, taking children’s education to a whole new level.

This Center offers Free Placement testing and orientation. Take advantage of the special discount for dual-subject enrollment in math ($140/mo) and reading ($160/mo) for only $200/month. This $100 discount is good for every month that you remain in both subjects. This offer ends on Feb 15th. Simply click here to email or call (408) 270-4548 for a consultation.

The importance of getting good grades in school

Any good parent would like their child to excel in the things they do, whether it’s in academics, playing a sport they love or pursuing an active hobby. But just wishing and praying for them to excel is not good enough, as the world today has become so competitive in every field. Some children are born intelligent and studying comes easily for them. Most are not so fortunate and have to buckle down and study hard in order to earn a good grade. The importance of obtaining exceptional grades and cultivating good study habits is given the utmost importance in today’s society. If you feel that your child is lagging behind and needs some sort of push and encouragement to excel, consider enrolling him or her in Pinecone Learning Center, which offers the right service in school tutoring and children’s education.

Better grades and a happier child

Pinecone Learning Center based in San Jose, California offers tutoring services for reading, comprehension, math and grammar. Your child will feel a positive change and difference in confidence and self-esteem. The supportive and caring tutors will provide expert guidance and sequential programs, tailored for each child’s requirements. The friendly environment is what your child needs to achieve better test scores and grades. Tutoring services are free for the first week, giving each parent a chance to review the class and their child in particular. School tutoring and children’s education will be taken to the next level, with help from Learning Centers such as these. Call (408) 270-4548 or visit www.pineconelearning.com for more information.

Classes are conducted on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3-7 p.m. on a drop-in basis (with daily homework assignments). There is a special discount for students who enroll in math and reading together. Its just $200 per month ($100 discount from the normal $140 for math and $160 for reading). This offer ends Feb. 15, 2010. Enroll your child today!