Math teaching may take a new curve

It was a report from this same group in 1989 that influenced a generation of teachers to let children explore their own solutions to problems, write and draw pictures about math, and use tools like the calculator at the same time they learn algorithms.

But this fall, the group changed course, recommending a tighter focus on basic math skills and an end to 8220;mile wide, inch deep8221; state standards that force schools to teach dozens of math topics in each grade. In fourth grade, for example, the report recommends that the curriculum should centre on the 8220;quick recall8221; of multiplication and division, the area of two-dimensional shapes and an understanding of decimals.

The Bush administration, too, has created a panel to study research on teaching math. It is expected to issue recommendations early next year.