Sadly, math is a gatekeeper for many kids and has been for decades. This is highly problematic in today's world as STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) is where the jobs are and will be for the foreseeable future. Students who are not literate in math and in the STEM fields will be disadvantaged in our rapidly changing, technology-driven world.
As such, math and STEM will become increasingly important in education in Alberta. This means math will be learned in a way that is not siloed, but instead will be integrated into other subjects like technology, science and art. (STEAM = STEM + Art). This means math will be taught in ways that promote a student's ability to understand and apply it to the real world in meaningful ways. Kids will need to be problem solvers and mathematical and computational thinkers. This means they will require a deep conceptual understanding of mathematical concepts and strong visual skills. Merely memorizing facts will not be sufficient.
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