<p>I have been substituting for few days a week and I am totally confused and sad the way they teach math. There is no ‘straight’ math teaching. from first grade on they have to do something called ‘window pane’ or four step process.</p>
<p>All math problems even in first grade are word problem. It would be fine if they could read and the words are easy to understand. Since many can’t read (this is specially true for minority kids) they are frustrated. I have hard time doing the window pane or four step dance. Frustrated kids don’t do anything and as they grow older they haven’t learned the basics.</p>
<p>I had a first grade girl today who could not read a single sentence on her paper, but when I would read and ask her she could do every problem - without me giving her the answers (of course without window panes)</p>
<p>Even in fourth grade they have trouble adding two one digit numbers. It seems that no one can add ‘instantly’. Most do tally marks, play piano with their fingers or count forward on their number line. </p>
<p>They don’t learn multiplication - again two one digit numbers till later grades. Few days ago I gave few one digit multiplication problems. The first kid started drawing little circles on his paper. He was slow and problem kid in the class, so I thought this is how they are trying to bring him up. Then I noticed that almost half of the class was busy drawing those little circles. </p>
<p>Teaching of fractions and equivalent fractions is so convoluted that it boggles my mind.</p>
<p>I don’t think my son did such a garbage when he was young. I am sure he would have lost all the interest in math.</p>
<p>And the funny thing is the elementary schools have become factories. All elementary schools in my district have the same worksheets to be given out on the same day across the district.</p>
<p>I’ve never been able to understand the way math is taught in elementary school. Why do the powers that be have to mess with this so much? Does anyone really think there’s a magic formula to teaching kids math? Why can’t individual teachers have more input and autonomy? Upsetting to hear that there’s an emphasis on word problems before kids have reading skills. How frustrating for everybody!</p>
<p>simba, is there any teaching of elementary math facts? When my youngest was in 2nd grade, just a dozen years ago, they had to memorize math tables and pass a timed test of 100 single-digit questions in each operation. Our school system’s standardized math scores have always been tops, so it would seem that this is an effective way to learn basic math skills. I’m sure the curriculum experts have their reasons. Fine with me, if they make sense. But so much of this new stuff seems like tinkering.</p>
<p>Our school did some of the new math stuff, but with a healthy dose of the old math too. Older son liked learning new ways of looking stuff (lattice multiplication anyone?), younger son tended to get confused by too many different approaches. Our state is big on explaining your work and you lose points on the state assessments if you don’t explain your work. Mathson lost lots of point especially when the problems were so easy he just saw the right answer. I don’t remember windowpanes thankfully! We did seem to have a new improved math program every other year though. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>“I sympathize! I recommend reading Liping Ma and trying to adapt her method to your classroom if you are allowed to.”</p>
<p>marite: Thanks, but as a sub we are not allowed to deviate. Once in a while when the teacher has not left clear instructions on how should they do the problems, I tell them not to use window panes. Every kid in the class cheers that.</p>
<p>frazzled: I can’t say for sure. I just started so I don’t have their entire curriculum. However, the only time I have seen ‘straight’ math multiplication (single digits) was in 4th grade - during their ‘mad minute’ time. Of course, I am told to give about 4-5 minutes. I also haven’t seen 100% correct answers either. Once, I went for half day and the teacher basically told me that multiplication the way we grew up with is a no-no. ‘Grouping’ is the buzz word.</p>
<p>The education gods can be sneaky too. They try to trick kids. The first grader I was helping today had a simple problem: circle a rectangle from four figures. The problem was there was no rectangle in the given figures. There was a square, a triangle, a hexagon and a pentagon. (Technically square is a rectangle with one additional property). But to expect that from a first grader is nonsense.</p>
<p>Some of what Liping Ma advocates is a change of terminology (she’s again the concept of “borrowing” for example). I’ve become convinced that her way makes better sense for children. </p>
<p>I have no idea what window panes are in math!</p>
<p>Simba, I subbed for five years & was not impressed with elementary math in our district. However, it wasn’t as bad as what you are faced with - what a mess. It can be really frustrating trying to teach something when you just know it is ridiculous.</p>
<p>I recall teaching division by counting backwards. Let’s say the problem was 20 divided by 5. The kids had to take a number line & count by ones to 20. Then they started at 20, counting back in groups of 5. At the end, they counted up the number of groups & voila … the answer is 4. I thought it was a waste of time. The kids were completely confused, trying to figure out how it all made sense. Sure, they got a correct answer - but they really did not have a clue what it meant.</p>
<p>“I have no idea what window panes are in math!”</p>
<p>Well I am not too sure either, but let me try. For any problem you draw a window (without the borders) with 4 panes. In each of those panes you define the problem, strategy, what is given and write the answer. In addition, you have to underline important stuff in the word problem. Too much busy work.</p>
<p>^^^ Ohhh … daily problem solving! I agree … too much busy work. I had to do that with kids as young as first grade. The emphasis on explaining the strategies & the thought behind the process is too “deep” for little kids - not to mention the fact that I just don’t get WHY it’s necessary to make a big deal out of explaining how you knew something that isn’t really all that hard to figure out (and if it was hard, you probably can’t explain it, anyway).</p>
Our experience with the Montessori school was very positive in math, reading, writing, etc. If you can afford it and are otherwise faced with the situation ‘simba’ outlines, it’s worth it IMO, at least in our experience.</p>
<p>Another great beginning math teaching method - blackjack! Actually, ‘go fish’ to learn the numbers themselves well, followed by ‘blackjack’ to learn basic counting skills and get lots of practice, followed by monopoly to learn math with even larger figures (especially with the kid as the banker). Cribbage is good also. All of this can be done well before kindergarten.</p>
<p>How stupid is all of that nonsense! You multiply 5 times 4 because that’s how it’s supposed to be. 5 x 2 + 5 x 2 = 10 + 10, which equals 20. Since when did math get this screwed up?</p>
<p>We are specifically told NOT to do any “naked math”. No isolated math problems (addition, subtraction, multiplication, etc) All has to come from “real-life” problems, etc. It’s ridiculous!!! I know that, as a kid, I came to an understanding of how math worked AFTER learning how to perform the algorithms. As in, you “borrow” and “borrow” and “borrow”, and gradually you understand how you are trading down the higher place value amount to “lend” to the lower place value amount. Nowdays, the kids spend a lot of time trading math manipulatives physically and making tally marks and using number lines and they just end up getting confused. I don’t think they get to the conceptual understanding because they are so confused by all the different ways of looking at the problem. The Math curriculum people don’t see it that way…</p>
<p>My mother was a KG Montesorri teacher for a long time so I know what you mean. Our son went to non-Montesorri pvt KG. The teacher had simple objectives: When her class graduated they must know numbers up to 100 , count by 5 and 10 and be able to ‘instantly’ add two one digit numbers. Her advanced kids could subtract two one digit numbers. Her more advanced kids could do multiplication tables of 2,5 and 10 (may be 3).</p>
<p>“All has to come from “real-life” problems,”</p>
<p>In one class (I think 5th grade) no one could do a “real life” problem involving subtracting $7.06 from $100.</p>
<p>Thanks, Simba. My mind is truly boggled. My kids attended a school that could be faddish but I don’t recall this at all. However, I do recall the “bank” in 1/2 grades and a book “The Toothpaste Millionaire” in 3rd grade which helped kids learn about multiplication, division, fractions along with some chemistry.</p>
<p>I never relied on school teaching math to my kids. I am proud to say that my granddaughter’s favorite subject is math which has a lot to do with “math” games I always play with her when she is visiting. She always ask for harder problems. I you make it a game and a challenging one, kids will love it. Math is one of my D’s (college sophmore) easiest subjects. My requirement at home in regard to math was always that all homework problems had to be completed CORRECTLY. Help was always available. I have nothing to do professionally with teaching or math. I believe that math is the most important subject.</p>
<p>Blame the textbook Gods. In order to continually create business for themselves, they have to continually convince school administrators that there are new and different ways to teach. One of the reasons our education system has created so many special needs kids is curriculum choice.</p>
<p>Boy am I glad my kids are through this stuff. One is a college freshman and the other a HS Junior - both went through public schools here in CA. Elementary school math had some of this stuff - but they also had basic 100 problem math fact worksheets that had to be done in a certain amount of time - which decreased as they go older. In 4th grade, they were expected to complete the sheet in 60 seconds. Once you passed addition, you got subtraction, etc. Some kids were done in 4 days, others took much longer - but that was the first part of the Math lesson every day. Kids who were done were given fun math puzzles to work on during that short time slot.</p>
<p>Too bad that technique “doesn’t work”. Sure seems to work for my kids :)</p>