Old Math
It looks like the discovery method in mathematics is in headlong retreat. The theory was that children would work more like professional mathematicians, discovering the facts of mathematics and figuring out how to solve problems by whatever means they could muster. It's not hard to see why this method was less than a rousing success.
To be sure, there were some worthwhile ideas incorporated, especially the idea that children should try to understand the meaning of concepts like addition, subtraction, and place value. This brainchild of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics might have had some theoretical merit, but in practice it has failed miserably. Concerned teachers hid their old math books, and tried to teach from them.
This New York Times story is about how mainstream math teaching is headed back to the basics.
One plan parents turned to was Japanese plan of Kumon math.
Slate's human guinea pig, Emily Yoffe, had her own encounter with Kumon. With her daughter reaching fifth grade, she feared that she would not only not be able to help her with her homework, but wouldn't even understand it. She tells the tale in I'm a Math Moron.
The placement test put her at the 2A First Grade level. Kumon is based on intensive drill, repetition, and speed. The idea is to get students to the fully automatic mode of doing problems. Bad habits like Yoffe's finger counting have to be rigorously suppressed.
We tried Kumon with our kids, but they hated it passionately. They were quick learners, and the endless repetition was intensely frustrating for them. Correcting the papers was no fun for us either. Abandoning Kumon didn't seem to hurt their math skills though, and both progressed rapidly through the curriculum to Calculus and beyond.
Ms. Yoffe's five months of brutal drudgery paid off though, sort of. She did manage to become proficient in fifth grade math. Her daughter was transferred to the sixth grade math group though.
To be sure, there were some worthwhile ideas incorporated, especially the idea that children should try to understand the meaning of concepts like addition, subtraction, and place value. This brainchild of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics might have had some theoretical merit, but in practice it has failed miserably. Concerned teachers hid their old math books, and tried to teach from them.
This New York Times story is about how mainstream math teaching is headed back to the basics.
The changes are being driven by students’ lagging performance on international tests and mathematicians’ warnings that more than a decade of so-called reform math — critics call it fuzzy math — has crippled students with its de-emphasizing of basic drills and memorization in favor of allowing children to find their own ways to solve problems.
At the same time, parental unease has prompted ever more families to pay for tutoring, even for young children. Shalimar Backman, who put pressure on officials here by starting a parents group called Where’s the Math?, remembers the moment she became concerned.
One plan parents turned to was Japanese plan of Kumon math.
Slate's human guinea pig, Emily Yoffe, had her own encounter with Kumon. With her daughter reaching fifth grade, she feared that she would not only not be able to help her with her homework, but wouldn't even understand it. She tells the tale in I'm a Math Moron.
I can barely add and subtract. Can I learn enough math in five months to help my fifth-grader with her homework?
By Emily Yoffe
Posted Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2006, at 5:46 PM ET
Things weren't going well with my math placement test—things have never gone well for me on any math test. As I tried to solve 13 – 5, I lost track while counting on my fingers, and as I calculated 3,869 x 6, I couldn't remember the rules for carrying numbers. I decided to enroll in a math prep course when I realized I was unable to help my then fourth-grade daughter with her math homework. For this Human Guinea Pig—a column that requires a willingness to debase myself—I planned to go back to where numbers and I parted ways, to see if I could learn enough math to keep ahead of my daughter for a few more years.
The placement test put her at the 2A First Grade level. Kumon is based on intensive drill, repetition, and speed. The idea is to get students to the fully automatic mode of doing problems. Bad habits like Yoffe's finger counting have to be rigorously suppressed.
We tried Kumon with our kids, but they hated it passionately. They were quick learners, and the endless repetition was intensely frustrating for them. Correcting the papers was no fun for us either. Abandoning Kumon didn't seem to hurt their math skills though, and both progressed rapidly through the curriculum to Calculus and beyond.
Ms. Yoffe's five months of brutal drudgery paid off though, sort of. She did manage to become proficient in fifth grade math. Her daughter was transferred to the sixth grade math group though.
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