A Cochrane tutor said the new kindergarten to Grade 4 curriculum announced by Alberta Education last week might be the best bet for students in terms of teaching methodologies in math. The curriculum is a revamp of six subject areas and will see an increase to Indigenous history, increased aspects of wellness education including learning about consent and healthy relationships. It will also see a shift away from discovery math – a teaching method which has been criticized since it’s implementation in the 2008-2009 school year. Hirra Memon is an educator at Kumon Math and Reading Centre, an after-school academic enrichment program based at Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre. Kumon operates in more than 50 countries. When it comes to mastering math and reading basics, Memon said the newly-announced curriculum reminds her of how she was educated as a child in the British school system. “It was just hardcore memorization, you just had to do it,” Memon said. “Now a days ... if I have to remember something, I find that I’ve retained it just because I memorized it versus I’m finding students are having a tougher time retaining that information.” Memon explained that the discovery math system currently in place in Alberta schools has some value, including making math problems more conceptual. However, it doesn’t trump rote memorization. Discovery math presents scenarios for kids to conceptualize, (such as X number of people in one room and X number of people in two other rooms, how many are there all together?). Memon compares it to opening a Christmas present. “Opening it – that’s great you get that good feeling but then you don’t remember it. Where as memorization you don’t forget it,” she said. “It’s easier to forget – like do you remember what Christmas gift you got last year?” Memon said it allows understanding for the logic and a practical reason to learn the math, but it doesn’t allow answers to stick for when math is needed on the spot. On exams, kids don’t have time to waste to “discover” math, she added. “If there’s a hundred questions, students don’t really have that chance to discover at that point ... they do have to have that memorization skill, it benefits them because they’re much more comfortable with having to do the math and they understand the comprehension better because they know those set skills,” Memon said. Having three kids of her own, two of whom are in the K-4 levels, Memon said she’s more comfortable having her kids focus on the memorization aspects. On top of the focus of memorization and numeracy skills highlighted in the new K-4 curriculum rolled out by the province, there is also an implementation of computer skills such as coding as early as kindergarten and teaching the meaning of consent as early as Grade 1. Cursive writing will remain a Grade 3 skill. Alberta Teachers Association president Greg Jeffery said teachers might appreciate the teaching requirements set out in the curriculum. “Discovery math will not go away, it’s a valid method of learning. But the new curriculum is more prescriptive and there will be opportunities for a better grounding in those basic facts,” he said. “I was a junior high math teacher for more than 30 years and I welcome the elementary grades dealing with basic facts and mathematics more deeply.” Jeffery added that he anticipates a more seamless transition between the subject areas as all subjects such as math are highlighted throughout the core subjects. “You may have a student that doesn’t like math that may appreciate math more because it can be connected to language arts or social studies or to science. The overlaps and the connectedness of the new curriculum is valuable,” he said. David Eggen, minister of education, said the curriculum rewrite process received more than 70, 000 responses on the draft. “We have developed a curriculum that is common sense, practical and in alignment with up-to-date research,” Eggen said. “We’re working hard to ensure that this curriculum focuses on the priorities of Albertans so it can set our students up for success in a fast-changing world.”
