Since I don't have grandchildren, I'm not really up on what children are learning in school these days. The closest I came to any gossip was several years ago when my husband complained about an elementary science/math class in which he volunteered on the Hilltop (low income). Even the teacher couldn't figure out the problems and asked him for help. It was his last year to volunteer--it was like watch child cruelty. Then a few weeks ago I was in the middle of a discussion (I was just listening) of a mom, a teen-ager, and a software writer who were discussing something called "spiraling" and "Chicago Math" aka "Everyday math." The 10th grader was obviously a bright young lady, but she had decided to avoid all routes to what might have been a promising career in science, which she loved, because of the way math was taught. She never could get that "a-ha" feeling of accomplishment and feel comfortable moving to the next concept. She was planning on a career in literature, she told me. So I looked it up--Chicago Math (University of Chicago) or EM, Everyday Math. As one who was never really strong in math, but have found it useful to know the multiplication tables, how to divide, know what a percentage means and calculate my grocery bill as things pass through the clerks hands, I think this sounds absolutely awful. Sort of like those awful story problems in third grade--if a train is going 15 mph, and a donkey runs along side, how long before it gets to Chicago. Sounds like some egg heads have hijacked our math classes so the Japanese, Chinese and Indians can get hired on emergency visas 10 years from now.
Confused, bothered and befuddled — Joanne Jacobs
If you've never heard of EM or Chicago Math, view this YouTube, and you be. . . stunned.
Saturday, February 05, 2011
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
4 comments:
Thanks for posting this, Norma. Though my Wonder Woman is an LMS, she also tutors math. Overcoming "Everyday Math"-created problems is a well-known issue for her. *sigh*
um, Hi Norma. My name is also David (jewish history; means 'beloved') - but am trying to live that down. Am not jewish, have just read about it. Am Australian, live by Davo.
(am only here 'cos you commented on mine).
"mathematics" .. mm, was one of those 'orrible children who kept asking 'why'. Why does 1+1=2?.
My "teachers" just kept saying "sharrup and lissen, it just IS!. believe it!"
Some 50 years later i discovered a simple ancient Greek explanation of how mathematics operates.
Ah, the mechanics of teaching.
in my befuddled mind ..
1+1= possible problematic progeny
2+2= a dinner party
3+3= probable conflict
.. etc .. heh.
Post a Comment