Dear Ontario PC party, you have been responsible for every major curriculum produced since 1972! You, built the curriculum you are now panning as �discovery math�. Take a look�
All curricula are created in the year before they are introduced and dated.
Don�t get excited about 2005� the revision was tweaking, nothing major. The same principles of teaching and learning mathematics remained from the previous curriculum. And for 1993, that curriculum was only in place for four years � wouldn�t have had much of an impact would it�
The 1997/1999/2000 curricula expectations state how to teach as well as what to teach. So� discovery math must have emerged from the PC party�s curriculum work.
A direct quote from the 1997 curriculum document which is the foundation of the revisions completed in 2005 for grades 1-8, �The mathematics curriculum set out in this document is significantly more rigorous and demanding than previous curricula. This curriculum includes a broader range of knowledge and skills and introduces many skills�for example, the mastery of number facts and the use of such standard measurement terms as centimetre and kilogram�in earlier grades. Expectations for pencil-and-paper skills in mathematical operations have been raised and are clearly stated (in the sections on Grades 4, 5, and 6). The expectations related to students� problem-solving skills are also more stringent. Students will be expected to describe what they are doing in mathematics and to explain why they are doing it. Where previous policy documents identified general outcomes for Grades 3, 6, and 9 only, The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8: Mathematics, 1997 gives precise and detailed descriptions of the knowledge and skills required for each grade. This provision of detail will eliminate the need for school boards to write their own expectations, will ensure consistency in curriculum across the province, and will facilitate province-wide testing� (p. 3, The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1-8 mathematics, 1997).
By the way, the Ministry of Education is also responsible for accrediting every Faculty of Education teacher education program in Ontario. The Ministry of Education has known and approved of how teachers are being taught in Ontario.
