A calculated education?

I just read in the todays Volkskrant (see also my previous message) an interesting and relevant topic about calculation-education on the 'Pabo' (the Dutch education for primary-schoolteachers). In short this article ("Vijfachtste. Dat is toch de helft van één?", page 14-15 (e.g. '5/8 = 1/2, isn't it?')) Konstant Ciach (a teacher of the Pabo) stated that it is not the fault of the students that they are not capable to do calculations without their calculator anymore, but of their previous education. He argues that after the pupil has left the primary education, the secondary education do not pay enough time on calculations (without the calculator) anymore, and that if the pupil does not practice this herself, she will loose her abbility to do this.

In the nowadays Pabo-education the students are mainly trained in this skill of calculation. What is interesting about this news item, regarding this course, is that Ciach also remarks that it is a big step from knowing how to calculate by themselves, to actually teach it to the pupils. Isn't this a nice example to illustrate the (old) PCK-model (the predecessor of the TPaCK-model)? Eventually, you may argue that it is also an example of the TPaCK-model itself, especially when you regard the knowledge how to use schoolmaterials (for example the 'old' chalkboard or other technologies) to explain the calculations to the students.

Besides this, it was also remarkable to read that Ciach learned his students only one routine methodology for calculations, although he indicates that there are other teachers who teach not only in one, but several methodologies, depending on what the students like. He also indicates that those teachers give more context to the calculations (he calls it 'realistich rekenen' e.g: 'realistic calculations'). This difference was also declared in another report on the same page (p. 15: "Rekenen op pabo al jarenlang beneden peil" (e.g: "calculations below the mark on the pabo")). In this commentary, they explain the current discussion among pabo-teachers (and other stakeholders) between this "realistic method" and "grandpa's method" (e.g. the old 'traditional' method).

This discussion seems something like a 'pedagocical push or pull' discussion: According to van de Craats (Stichting Goed Rekenonderwijs (e.g. 'Good Calculation-education foundation') as cited in the article) should the government not decide "how" the teachers should teach calculations, but "what" calculations should be teached. Yet another point to think about...

In short: this two reports are really good food for thought... En table!