Friday, January 7, 2011

Mathematics, 2011 (or Why Our Children Aren't Learning)


If you've ever wondered why our children are having difficulty learning math, here's what is being taught at the school where I work.

To begin with, we are expected to make every child "college ready".  This means we can no longer teach math vertically.  All math problems must now be taught horizontal and algebraic.

The above is a "simple" math problem, and how it is solved.  117 has to be "de-constructed" into 100 + 10 + 7. 

58 is actually 50 + 8.

You add all the 100s, then all the 10s, then all the 1s.  Since 7 + 8 = 15, that has to be de-constructed into 10 + 5, then you have to re-add the 10s.

It all makes perfect sense, right?

You should see subtraction.

And don't get me started on multiplication and division.

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