Wonder why math scores are plummeting in Ontario? Here's why

 
While pressure on the government in Alberta has finally resulted in a commitment to restoration of the methods of teaching math that had been successful until the wonky "Discovery Math" was introduced, Ontario continues its march backwards in education.

The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), which has tremendous influence on the curriculum development in Ontario, had a forum yesterday stacked with proponents of "Social Justice" Math and Science. 

Held under the auspices of OISE's Centre for Science, Mathematics and Technology Education it's goal to discuss "what K-12 teachers need to know in order to teach mathematics and science well."

To arrive at that, the panel of "experts" would deal with the following:

Types of knowledge identified in the literature include conceptual understanding of the subject, pedagogical content knowledge, beliefs about the nature of work in science and mathematics, attitudes toward these subjects, equity and social issues, and actual teaching practices with students. However, the literature is incomplete with respect to which of these is relatively more or relatively less important.

It used to be that science and math involved understanding the basis of  calculations, formulas, and equations. But in Ontario, OISE is promoting science and math that teach "equity and social issues," that while they have no bearing on the actual subjects supposed to be taught, they do convey the type of thinking that OISE's educators want to condition children to follow.

And if these children are provided with a deficient education in the process, it seems Ontario's Ministry of Education couldn't care less.