The Menaul School math teachers are always on the cutting edge of what is new in math education. As a result, Menaul School adjusted our math program from the traditional teaching method to Integrated Mathematics. For those that have no idea why this is so exciting, this blog post is here to break it down for you!
What is Integrated Math?
Many, if not all of us, learned math in High School following a traditional method. This is because we went to school in the United States. In other words, we studied math as different schools of mathematics our teachers divided into each school year.
A typical path might be Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, and so on. In this case, students study Geometry one year, and then never truly used it again until it was time to study for the ACT or SAT. They study Algebra and then struggle to apply it after taking a year off.
It’s safe to say, we all remember the experience of sitting in front of an important test and drawing a blank.
Menaul School now teaches Integrated math, a different approach. It involves many topics of mathematics each year. Every math course our students take involve algebra, geometry, trigonometry, statistics, and more. Therefore, lessons builds on each other and get more advanced year after year.
Is integrated math a better system?
According to this article by Madeline Will for EdWeek.org, students learning with an integrated math curriculum are proven in studies to outperform students who follow the traditional American math curriculum.
In this article, Will states: “Many countries—including those whose students outperform the United States in international assessments—use an integrated-mathematics sequence at the secondary level.”
She goes on to say:
“And many American teachers and administrators who have transitioned to a combined-math pathway say they have seen benefits.”
How does it work?
Check out this infographic below to compare what classes students take with the integrated math approach vs. The traditional American approach.
I am excited about this. Wish I had had it in HS. It makes so much sense to integrate.