The Study
In the 1990s U. S. educators, employers, and policy-makers have all expressed concerns about the changing nature of work, increasing technical demands on workers, and the capacity of schools prepare students for success on the job. Technological innovation, it seemed, significantly raised the level of mathematics, science, and computer skills expected of workers. Jack Smith, assistant professor in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education, investigated those claims by examining the mathematical demands of production work in 16 workplaces involved in the automotive industry in south-central Michigan.

The Findings
The results were surprising. In most workplaces, the overall level of mathematics required did not exceed what the current K­8 curriculum teaches to most students. Technology sometimes "upskilled" and sometimes "downskilled" workers, but organizational and management practices had a greater influence on what workers needed to know. Workplaces organized on "lean manufacturing" principles (common among Japanese producers) required significantly more mathematical thinking "on the line." Two specific mathematical results were: (1) computation began with measurements of physical quantities (e.g., the diameter of a drilled hole) and was always supported with calculators, and (2) spatial and geometric reasoning in 2­ and 3­dimensions was crucial and exceeded what the school curriculum usually teaches.

What It Means to You
Technological changes are profound but may not warrant wholesale changes in school curriculum and teaching. Workplaces are often not organized to utilize and extend the skills that students bring from school. Mathematics programs that emphasize pencil and paper computation are not likely to prepare students for success in modern work. Curriculum and teaching in the spirit of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Standards provides a better blueprint for preparing students for the demands of modern work because they provide more work with problems set in realistic contexts, access to technology for representing and calculating, and collaborative problem solving. Also, the emphasis on algebra should not be taken as justification for de-emphasizing spatial and geometric skills, especially for the work-bound students.

More Information
Smith, J. P. (1999). Tracking the mathematics of automobile production: Are schools failing to prepare students for work? American Educational Research Journal, 36(4), 835­878.

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