The Sad State of Scientific Education in Canada

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East As the year, 2023 draws to a close we are faced with mostly negative events, both internally and externally. In such circumstances, it is important to take stock of our situation. In Canada we need to pay more attention to our future. Any nation’s future lies in their children, so we need to focus on education in general and science education in particular. If Canada wants to stay at the technological forefront in the world, it must pay more attention to the education of the new generation. They are the future and in order to maintain the standard of living we are accustomed to, we need to pay attention to education. As stated several times by concerned educators, it is time to eliminate politics from education and concentrate on real teaching. In so doing, it must be noted that successful mathematics education in Canada has undergone a concerning decline. Between 2003 and 2022, math scores on international exams administered by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have declined in all Canadian provinces. In almost all provinces, the proportion of students performing at the lowest levels has increased since 2003 and has more than doubled in some cases. Equally concerning, the percentage of students performing at the highest levels has decreased. In some provinces, it has decreased by more than half. More students are struggling with math and fewer students are excelling. While the pandemic likely affected the most recent scores, the downward trend started well before that, so other factors must be contributing to the long-term decline. Mathematics is more important than ever to maintain a modern economy, despite the new woke political left is claims to the contrary. Therefore, this decline should be a matter of public concern and requires immediate action from provincial governments, which are responsible for education. A baseline level of mathematics competency is necessary to participate meaningfully in society. A high level of mathematics proficiency is required for careers that underpin our economy, including those in technology, new sources of energy, artificial intelligence, and data science, to name a few. Before pursuing this issue further, perhaps it is worth noting that there are very few politicians with a background in scientific education either in the federal or provincial parliaments. In my humble opinion, this is a factor of concern. Other countries, which are evolving technologically on the world scene, have a healthy representation of scientifically educated members in their parliaments. I will not give examples because I would like you to verify this fact, which you may find upsetting. Misguided and/or misinterpreted ideas about teaching math have also gained popularity in recent years. Despite math being fundamental to a high tech society, and research having shown parallels between the importance of reading and math, math education does not receive the same level of promotion as reading and social sciences. Math is an abstract subject and therefore conceptually more difficult. It is also cumulative and needs to be built on solid foundations. So effective math education is a long-term process that must be planned carefully and executed strategically. It starts early, and builds on informal understanding that is gradually and systematically connected to formal mathematics. It involves hard work with plenty of practice, but it is rewarding and fun when taught by people who understand mathematics themselves. Students who do not receive effective instruction in due time, or get disjointed instruction from people with limited competence and must therefore indulge in mindless practice, will grow to hate math. Worse still, they can easily fall behind and abandon mathematics altogether, which will severely limit their career choices and jobs. Students need a strong base of foundational skills to succeed with more complex problem solving. Student fluency with math concepts, such as basic number facts and fractions in the early years place them on the trajectory to algebra, which is the foundation for the higher-level mathematics required for quantitative careers and high tech jobs. Therefore, provincial governments should ensure that mathematics-teaching practices are aligned with the science of learning. Notable improvements should be made to math curricula and teacher education. Transparency and accountability in reporting student achievement should be a priority. This includes explicitly teaching students, incorporating ample practice, and using other evidence-informed techniques. Professional development that downplays the need for explicit instruction, devalues student practice, or fails to provide solid evidence for the effectiveness of its programs should be avoided. Public funds should not be spent on such programs. Provincial math curricula should be drastically rewritten in order to remove ineffective pedagogical directives and stress important topics, at appropriate grade levels, known to lead to later success in math. Homework should be assigned regularly and a strong parent-teacher dialog should be established. In addition, the use of distracting electronic devices such as smartphones should be limited on school propriety. Accountability to parents and the public are key aspects of successful education systems. Parents are important stakeholders in Canadian education and should be regularly provided with clear and accurate reports on what their children are being taught and how their children are performing so they can assist and advocate for their children. Provincial assessments at several grade levels provide important data to help identify flaws in the system and hold decision-makers accountable. Present tendencies, influenced by biased social politics, to remove provincial assessments and reduce transparency in communicating students’ performance to parents are grossly misguided and should be reversed. In conclusion, effective mathematics education must be prioritized in Canadian schools. Canadian children deserve it, and the future of our economy depends on it! Happy New Year 2024!