Via EdNews.org, comes a pointer to Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee writing about changes in math instruction proposed by the National Council of Mathematics Teachers. In essence, the national organization is adopting changes already in place in California; changes that emphasize a back-to-basics approach.

We Americans used to understand the concept of educational progression — of instilling fundamental skills early and completely so that they became natural extensions of children’s lives, thus equipping them for moving into higher realms of learning and reasoning. But somewhere and somehow, we lost our way and began embracing panaceas that promised educational gain without pain.

As Walters points out, “Innumeracy — a chronic inability to understand and apply mathematics to work and daily life — is rampant.” Our children have to invest the time to learn the basics. Then they can continue to build their knowledge. Not just knowledge of what’s in a text, but an understanding of the world around us. There are just no shortcuts to learning. It takes time, patience, and guiding hands – teachers, parents, tutors, and friends.