The focus of the District Math Night last week was on how well “Investigations” prepares students for algebra and beyond. Several elementary school teachers and SCASD administrators offered endorsements of “Investigations” in this regard but I wondered about what the teachers of those high school math classes think. In online discussion forums for teachers, at least, the opinions on constructivist approaches to teaching math tend to be divided depending on grade level taught (keep in mind that these boards contain the anonymous comments of teachers from anywhere, not just from SCASD).
Most elementary school teachers in these forums like using “Investigations” (here is an example of one thread), but some do not. When early-grade math preparation is discussed among high school teachers, however, it is usually to complain about how basic math skills have declined since the advent of programs like “Investigations” and “Connected Math”. Here is a question from a chemistry teacher on one of these boards:
I teach high school chemistry, and have seen an unsettling trend in recent years in the math skills of my kids. Who better to ask than you math folks! Most of my kids are juniors who have passed Alg I and Geometry, are taking Alg II, but simple things like averaging and finding percents throw them for a loop. And I’m not talking about just a few kids. Even in my honors classes, for example, they will be asked to average the results of 2 experimental trials — many will multiply, then divide by 2. And it never occurs to them that the average of 15 and 18 cannot possibly be 135! Another ex: “a compound contains 40 g of calcium and 16 g of oxygen. What % of the total mass is calcium?” I get the “deer-in-headlights” look — then they decide to divide 40 by 16. If they’re given the formula D=M/V, then asked to solve for V — well, that’s gonna take full class period! Is anybody else seeing highschoolers who lack the simples of skills and concepts? What is causing this?
One math teacher’s reply:
The current theory that we (math teachers) are being told to believe is that if you teach at a “critical thinking” level (a high level), then the students will learn the basic skills themselves by way of seeing the “need to know”.  The days of “kill and drill” basic skills are gone. You are experiencing the result of this.
