Beyond the math wars: Focus on teachers to improve instruction

The field of mathematics education has engaged in perennial debate about whether transmission-oriented or constructivist approaches to teaching will best help students learn. Yet, both fluency, learned through step-by-step procedural instruction, and the mathematical flexibility that comes from constructivist methods play an important role in mathematical achievement. Rachel S. McClam and Rebecca A. Cruz explain that the math wars debate acts as a straw man, with each side misrepresenting the other and detracting from what students really need — but often lack — to be successful in math: teachers who understand how both approaches work together to support students to become confident and knowledgeable mathematicians.