As schools work their way toward the full implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), they are introducing new approaches to instruction, many of which provide examples of how concepts can be applied to real-life situations. For example, the CCSS will see to it that high school students learn how to think mathematically as they apply the concepts they cover in class to challenges they will face in the real world, according to the CCSS' website.
Not only is West Virginia a state that is currently implementing the Common Core, but it is also home to the Wood County Schools, which have been applying mathematical concepts to real-world scenarios for some time now, the Marietta Times reported. However, the fact that educators in the district already take a CCSS-like approach to teaching math does not mean they are not adjusting their curricula.
"I think the focus now is more on learning rather than on teaching," Tammy McKnight, Wood County's math and science curriculum coordinator, told the news source. "Now it's about problem solving, collaboration and arriving at an answer that makes sense to them."
While math teachers have to re-learn how to deliver information to their students, Greg Merritt, a Wood County instructional coach for elementary mathematics, sees the transition to the CCSS as a "positive shift."
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