one criticism of curriculum and instruction in the united states that has been repeated many times is the “mile-wide and inch-deep” characterization. The main purpose of curriculum Focal points (NCTM 2006) was to illustrate one way that curricula can be organized and sequenced to provide more focus and depth (Schielack and Seeley 2007).
Whereas Curriculum Focal Points provides a model for consideration. It was not meant to replace the current long lists of skill-focused standards with a short list of skill-focused standards. It is not enough to simply address the “mile-wide” curriculum. We must also help teachers address the “inch-deep” issue.
Teaching and learning a few important mathematical topics grounded on essential understandings. As well as skills, can be a step toward addressing both the mile-wide and the inch-deep curriculum. Communicating to teachers not just the skills to be mastered but also the ideas and relationships students need to know and understand will help teachers go beyond the surface level of teaching skills to develop deeper understandings of mathematic. “The standards movement in the United states is, in part. An effort to set learning goals for students. The contribution of this activity to improving teaching depends on whether the standards are expressed clearly enough that teachers can use them for planning instructions”
(Hiebert and Stigler 2000. p. 13)
Classroom teachers and other leaders in mathematics education do not have to wait for a new generation of content standards that include essential understandings to being making a difference in the classroom. We can begin now to include essential understandings in daily instructional planning and revisions of our school or district curriculum guidelines. Three sources for essential understanding appear at the end of this article. Additionally, read NCTM joumals and books with and eye toward identifying essential understandings. Attend sessions at state and NCTM conferences with a goal of identifying essential understanding for particular topics. And, if an administrator requires that the “standard-of-the-day” be posted in the room. Go beyond the skill to be learned and communicate to students in their language the ideas and relationships, the essential understandings, they will be developing. There is no need to keep secret of children or teachers that need to be past of teaching and learning mathematics. For too long, we have heard complaints that mathematics education may not be making significant differences in what students understand. Maybe it is difficult to make a real difference in what students understand until we make that “understanding” explicit in the classroom and explicit in our state standards.
Finally, many teachers cannot teach for understanding unless they know what understandings to teach. Furthermore, teachers cannot teach for understanding unless they understand the mathematics to be taught. Building standards, curriculum, instruction, and assessment on essential understandings can also serve as a vehicle for developing every teacher’s mathematical content knowledge.