Rationale for Teaching Mathematics and Science

I believe that effective teaching of mathematics and science in elementary school is vital
for the development, growth, and success of children. The Common Core State Standards offer a
foundation for the development of more rigorous, focused, and coherent mathematics curricula,
instruction, and assessments that promote conceptual understanding and reasoning as well as
skill fluency; however, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics stresses that effective
teaching is the non-negotiable core that ensures that all students learn mathematics at high
levels. The NCTM believes that effective mathematics teaching and the foundation that the
CCSS provides will help to ensure that all students are ready for college and the workplace
when they graduate from high school and that they are prepared to take their place as productive,
full participants in society.
I remember a lot of math instruction when I was in elementary school; however, I have
trouble remembering specific science lessons, except one. The one science related experience I
remember from first grade was when my class had caterpillars and watched them grow into
butterflies. My memories with learning math differ depending on my teacher. I had a few
teachers who isolated math instruction; these teachers focused a lot on memorization and getting
the correct answer. I remember timed multiplication tests where I would have a certain amount
of time to do 100 multiplication problems; this was encouraging us to memorize multiplication
tables. I also remember around the world which is another activity that promotes and rewards
memorization and quick recalling of math facts rather than actual understanding. I also had
teachers who integrated math learning into other disciplines and made math instruction
enjoyable. My fourth grade teacher integrated math with physical education/health. We would

run/walk a certain distance a week, until we had completed a marathon. This incorporated
calculating how many weeks/how many miles per week it would take to complete 26.2 miles. I
experienced both effective science and mathematics learning as well as ineffective learning when
I was in elementary school.
There is a large shift from memorization to actual conceptual understanding of
mathematics and science. This has to do with the fact that students are capable of a lot more
in-depth learning than some people originally believed. In Science instruction, the shift to
practices emerges from research on how students learn and advances our understanding of how

science progresses (Bybee, 2011, p.6). Teaching science and mathematics well can have a very
positive effect on students. The Ready, Set, Science article provides four reasons to teach science
well: science is an enterprise that can be harnessed to improve quality of life on a global scale, it
may provide a foundation for the development of language, logic, and problem solving skills in
the classroom, a democracy demands that its citizens make personal, community-based, and
national decisions that involve scientific information, and for some students, science will become
a lifelong vocation or avocation (Michaels et al., 2007).
Another important factor is that learning must be seen as a whole: concepts, procedures,
and intellectual processes are interrelated. Students need to learn specific content areas; however,
it is important that they see how math and science learning is interwoven with other disciplines.
The article, Rethinking Mathematics, presents three consequences when math is isolated from
other disciplines. Keeping math instruction separate can send the message that math is basically
irrelevant except for achieving success in future math classes, becoming a scientist or
mathematician, or making commercial transactions, it teaches students that math is not

connected to social reality in any substantive way, and if students are not taught how math can
be applied in their lives, they are robbed of an important tool to help them fully participate in
society (Gutstein & Peterson, 2005, p.10). The fact that some students may be viewing math as
basically irrelevant is not acceptable.
Students will greatly benefit throughout life from effective science and mathematics
teaching in elementary school. Both mathematics and science learning help students develop and
utilize important life skills, such as, problem solving, questioning the world around them, and
thinking critically. Students need to be ready for future jobs, careers, and opportunities (some of
which may not even be around now). The critical need for the workforce of tomorrow is not
how much knowledge the citizens possess but how they can access information when needed and
how they use that information to creatively solve problems and communicate ideas and concepts
effectively (p.18).

References
Bybee, R. W. (2011). Scientific and Engineering Practices in K-12 Classrooms: Understanding
"A Framework for K-12 Science Education". Science And Children, 49(4), 10-16.
Gutstein, E., Peterson, B., & Rethinking, S. (2005). Rethinking Mathematics: Teaching Social
Justice by the Numbers. Rethinking Schools, Ltd.
Michaels, S., Shouse, A. W., & Schweingruber, H. A. (2007). Ready, Set, SCIENCE!: Putting
Research to Work in K-8 Science Classrooms. National Academies Press.