On Sunday, there was a huge front page article in the Joplin Globe regarding the “new” math being taught in one of the neighboring school districts. Basically, the “new” math is just old math being taught with an emphasis on practical problems (word problems) rather than just rote memorization. Quite a few of the parents are up-in-arms about it.
One mother in particular really burned my biscuits when she complained that her children had to spend 2 or more hours on their homework every night and (gasp!) she had to help them. What really made her angry was that the Math textbook didn’t have enough examples for her to be able to figure out how to solve the problems. So she looked like a dunce in front of her kids.
Another mother wondered whether the district was failing to teach pupils the basic math skills they need to succeed in life because you know that real-life math problems only come in the form “Calculate the area of a circle when r=3cm” rather than the word-type problems students are now being expected to solve.
Yeah the rote method of learning mathematics comes in real handy when you get out of school. Your children are being cheated!
Hopefully these parents won’t find out that Violet’s class is not only learning their multiplication tables by rote but are also using cute little artsy projects like this turkey. Thankfully, the answers are on the back side of the turkey feathers in case I need a little help when I’m drilling her.
Mr. B, Violet’s math teacher, is also using bribery. The kids can earn an ice cream sundae by learning their multiplication tables. Here’s how it works:
Memorize/ Get:
- 0 Bowl
- 1 Spoon
- 2 Banana
- 3 1st scoop of ice cream
- 4 2nd scoop of ice cream
- 5 Syrup toppings (strawberry, chocolate)
- 6 Sprinkles
- 7 Big Toppings (Oreos, nuts, gummy bears)
- 8 Whipped cream
- 9 -12 Up to 4 cherries
Violet has her bowl & spoon. That’s pretty much a gimme. Although, Violet tells me of a rumor floating through her class of a hapless young lad who, last year, had to eat his sundae on a napkin. This week they’ll be tested on their twosies. Violet figures she’s got the banana in the bowl and has been working on her threesies.
I never memorized all of my “times” tables as we used to call them. To this day I struggle with my 7s, 8s, 9s and 12s. That’s okay though my fingers work just fine and I’m not a fan of “big toppings” and whipped cream on my sundaes anyway. And two cherries are just perfect.
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