Comments on: Learning Multiplication by Rote is a Disease

By: Accelerated Maths Learning

Accelerated Maths Learning — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 09:20:37 +0000

Thanks for your honesty and for writing something on a positive note. There is so much negativity around the world in these troubled times, so I appreciate what you have said.

Kind regards,

Ruth

By: Grandpa Jim

Grandpa Jim — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 12:40:09 +0000

My only defense of rote (the tables) lies in this observation. Prior to the end of WWII, almost all children had to memorize them. Since then, it appears that nobody (in the math biz) can agree! In the prior era, almost all cashiers, wherever you went, could make change. Since then, fewer and fewer are able to do so. If there is an alternative that is better because it works better, why don’t more teachers adopt it? But my real concern is, who will teach what? I’d submit that out of the hundreds of thousands of school districts in this nation, there are probably thousands of different approaches being taught. There is no central, single “authority” reporting to us that we ought to adopt method X because it is producing results that are hereby documented. Wouldn’t a national math tournament be of help, wherein the winner could be determined by the method used? (Speed plus accuracy equaling efficiency?) Of course, then a manual would have to be written that a teacher could comprehend and who would write it? Oops. Now we have to remedy the weaknesses in writing (and reading) that are also apparent.
I believe that until we have a dictate forcing all teachers to master the best method of math ed, and the best method of teaching that method, we have no hope. A study of why our attempt to force the metric system upon ourselves failed would probably be of help. The reasoning seemed to be fundamentally fallacious: everybody will jump on the bandwagon, of course. Everybody will agree, surely! Just like everybody will agree upon which sunset is the most beautiful.

By: Crystal

Crystal — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 03:46:57 +0000

I like what you say about knowing content cold versus rote memorization of facts. Few things make me more bored than teaching times tables. It’s so boring it makes my brain numb and I KNOW them already. I’ve hated becoming the times table nazi of the 6th grade, but seriously when I have a month to teach 5 years of content, I can’t do the cool multiplication stuff I know, (thanks NCLB! thanks standaradized tests!) because I have to get to the stuff I’m ordered to teach.

The single most effective project I ever oversaw was what I called my “house” project. Kids got an individual budget,were assigned a family, bought one of 10 pre-approved houses, and set about furnishing them. In the course of 20 or so weeks of school (give or take) they also learned how to create spreadsheets (useful for the real world and a logical application of why negatives matter), learned to price compare (again, shockingly useful in the real world), measured real life pieces of furniture (wow, it’s not always easy to measure stuff with round edges, is it? See how circles and estimating are important?), made graphic representations of how the furniture would fit in each room (see, I TOLD you geometry was useful), wrote journal entries about their experiences (English and Math at the same time? GASP!), and presented their findings to the class (public speaking). Along the way I liked to send around the cup of destiny which presented them with such wonderful news as “your kid broke a window playing baseball..that will cost you $200″ which taught them to adjust on the fly. I’m forgetting some of the parts, as it’s been two years since I was able to teach this, and it sucks that I would never be allowed to do it in a “regular” room…the only reason I got away with it is because my students were “gifted” and therefore I could get them through the curriculum each year AND do my projects.

What few seem to realize, except me and the students, is that those 20 weeks was what made the rest of the year interesting, relevant, and helped them finally “get” it. I could easily design a sixth grade math course around this project without once using TERC/CMP as a resource and they would walk out with a much deeper and happier understanding of the precepts I was teaching.

This is one of those reasons again, why I often think I’ll end up homeschooling…I want my kids to love school, and math. And to understand that Math is cool and awesome…and know their stuff by heart. Without once ever using flashcards (I hope).

By: Christina

Christina — Thu, 01 May 2008 21:58:21 +0000

This is the first I have visited your site and so far I love it. I homeschool my three boys and I have two step children that go to public school. They go to a different school than my kids did and use a different programs, but I see the same problems with their school and I did with my own children’s. My step children go to a school that has what seems to me (not a math person, but very interested in education) to be a good math program, but the fact is that if the parent isn’t teaching it at home the kids are just not getting it. What are they spending 71/2 hours a day in that building if they have to be taught it at home in order to get it?
I have one kid who is great at math. He was 7 when he discovered division and I had not taught it to him. I have one almost 10 and he still uses his fingers when he adds even though he can do it in his head if I make him. All the patterns have to be pointed out to him. I am going to explore your methods with them and my kindergartener and see what happens.

By: Learning Multiplication by Rote is a Disease | No Child Left Behind?

Learning Multiplication by Rote is a Disease | No Child Left Behind? — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 07:16:10 +0000

Check out learning-multiplication-by-rote-is-a-disease/