But area school districts are taking on algebra, and finding innovative ways to teach the subject. Franklin High School presents its students with frequent review quizzes each week, math chairman Barb Pheanis said.
“We repeat the hardest type of problems and drop off the ones everyone seems to know. With the material repeating like this, they do not just learn it for one test and then forget it,” she said.
Certain concepts are also repeated throughout the school year, rather than being taught and tested once.
“(Students) may see the same topic on many tests throughout the year,” Pheanis said. “We feel this helps them retain the material much longer.”
Victoria Rohlfs teaches math at Miami University Middletown. She agreed repetition is key to mastering algebra.
“Like any subject, algebra is not something that can be passively learned. Repetition and hard work are necessary for success,” Rohlfs said. “I can say that the students I have in my classes usually do not understand how it all goes together, which leads me to believe that they have learned algebra in pieces and have not been forced to put all of the pieces together, or they’re unable to put those pieces together.”
“It’s not about remembering tricks, it is about understanding the language and understanding how things work,” she said.
The Ohio Core Curriculum will require four years of math and Algebra II or the equivalent, starting with the class of 2014, but Hamilton City Schools and Fenwick Local Schools have required four years of math starting with the 2012 and 2013 classes.
“Starting next school year, we will offer Algebra I to all students in ninth grade and more students who are enrolled in Algebra II than ever before,” said Hamilton spokeswoman Joni Copas.
With Fenwick’s college preparatory curriculum, students are required to take a placement test in eighth grade. Those test results determine the students’ placement in various levels of algebra for their freshman year.
Middletown students struggling with algebra are being offered intervention.
“We offer study tables three times a week, we have adult tutors who offer their time after school hours, and we have fellow MHS students who offer peer tutoring,” said Middletown High School math teacher Catherine McCarthy.
“I’ve been teaching algebra for 15 years, and math is like a foreign language. It doesn’t always come naturally,” McCarthy said. “If the student doesn’t get a very good grasp of the subject at a young age, it just becomes harder over time.”
About the Author