summary and resonse to battleground schools

Since 1900, Math education in North America has been viewed in two ways namely progressive and conservative (traditionalist) views. Conservatives believe that the goal of Math is the fluency; it should be taught through presenting and students should absorb and apply the facts without questioning. On the other hand, progressive believe that the goal is the understanding of the concepts and teachers encourage students to think and question.
Public criticism of Math education in late nineteenth century led to Progressivist Reform (circa 1910 – 1940). It was the time of industrialization and urbanization, thus Math was perceived as the prerequisite for many subjects. The technique that was generally used was “programming the environment”. Students were encouraged to be involved in activities and “doing” math as opposed to sitting still and taking notes.
In the 1960s, it was the time of competition with USSR. Elite scientists were needed thus Math education became the focus of the nation. The public outcry of preparing children to become elite scientists led to the New Math movement. They were trying to rewrite the Math curriculum for K-12 level. There were huge problems as the existing teachers weren’t familiar with the new curriculum and the parents were not able to help their kids with their math homework. Due to these obstacles, the movement ended in the early 1970s.
From 1990s and onward, there’s a battle between Math curriculum and teaching methods known as the Math War. After a poor ranking in the world in Math for American eighth-grade students and detailed video analysis, the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) concluded that deeper conceptual understanding of Math was the key to succeed a higher ranking.
It is likely that during my future teaching career, I will come across some kind of new movement. To be able to adjust to a possible new “system”, I need to be open minded and willing to adjust to a new style. With my characteristics of caring for students and my passion for teaching, I believe I am up for the challenge.