By Rob Kunzia
"Much of what you thought you knew about math class has been turned on its head at Dana Middle School in the Wiseburn School District.
"Seventh- and eighth-graders at the west Hawthorne school don't really use textbooks or do much in the way of homework. The teachers rarely spend more than 10 minutes on any given lecture. At the beginning of class, instead of urging kids to quiet down, the teachers try to get them riled up.
"If it all seems a little strange, the method of teaching - developed by researchers at Loyola Marymount University - also might offer a glimpse into what math instruction will look like in the future. At Dana, it has produced striking results.
"In two years, the share of eighth-graders scoring proficient or better in algebra at the school has more than doubled, from 27 percent to 62 percent. Also, a strong majority of students at the school - 62 percent - now cite math as their favorite subject."