New video from the Where's the Math folks in Washington State. This features a 10 year old girl named Madeline who describes her experience with Investigations and then compares it with her experience with Singapore and Saxon.
A more compelling, albeit cruel, video would have been showing the girl trying to work out math problems post-TERC pre-Saxon and then show her working them post-Saxon.
This has nothing to do with anything, but I teach gifted students in a full day pullout program and my young co-teacher (I'm old) is using a program called Hands On Equations. The program uses pawns(x), number cubes and a scale to teach Algebra. Today I was watching as she was teaching a bunch of 4th graders inverse x. I could tell, by the glassy eyed looks, that they weren't getting it at first.
So, she retaught and then the hands started shooting up. You would not believe the questions they asked--I was amazed at the complexity of what they understood and that they could verbalize what they were thinking. Responses were filled with negative and positive numbers,functions, and an understand of inverse. It was a sight to behold. These are kids who will not be taught adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing positive and negative numbers for another TWO years.
As a veteran teacher I got kinda teary eyed. I said to the class "you guys are absolutely amazing--you should be so proud of yourselves". Just another example of what kids can do with good instruction and motivation. (Yes, I know what you are thinking--"sure it's easy when your kids are all that smart" but this was an understanding of material 3-4 years beyond what they are taught in the classroom.
Right now they spent their entire regular math classes preparing for tests that they already score in the 99%ile on. Thanks for letting me ramble--NB
cute cute cute.
ReplyDeleteIf I may add, Investigations = beating a dead horse to see what it looks like.
Hmm. Singapore Math every day over the summer? Sounds familiar to us!
A more compelling, albeit cruel, video would have been showing the girl trying to work out math problems post-TERC pre-Saxon and then show her working them post-Saxon.
ReplyDeleteTrue.
ReplyDeleteWe also need a video of an adult who can't do long division.
I keep mentioning our friend's young adult son. Scored 780 on SAT verbal, perhaps low 600s finally on SAT math after months of tutoring.
His mom says he still can't really do long division.
Hmm. Singapore Math every day over the summer? Sounds familiar to us!
ReplyDeleteWe're going to straight to drill and kill around here.
There is a two-part response to the first video from what I believe is a math teacher or prof.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9skRrnN2_HU&mode=related&search=
I haven't digested it fully but from what I gather the commenter is synthesizing elements from the various schools of thought.
This has nothing to do with anything, but I teach gifted students in a full day pullout program and my young co-teacher (I'm old) is using a program called Hands On Equations. The program uses pawns(x), number cubes and a scale to teach Algebra. Today I was watching as she was teaching a bunch of 4th graders inverse x. I could tell, by the glassy eyed looks, that they weren't getting it at first.
ReplyDeleteSo, she retaught and then the hands started shooting up. You would not believe the questions they asked--I was amazed at the complexity of what they understood and that they could verbalize what they were thinking. Responses were filled with negative and positive numbers,functions, and an understand of inverse. It was a sight to behold. These are kids who will not be taught adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing positive and negative numbers for another TWO years.
As a veteran teacher I got kinda teary eyed. I said to the class "you guys are absolutely amazing--you should be so proud of yourselves". Just another example of what kids can do with good instruction and motivation. (Yes, I know what you are thinking--"sure it's easy when your kids are all that smart" but this was an understanding of material 3-4 years beyond what they are taught in the classroom.
Right now they spent their entire regular math classes preparing for tests that they already score in the 99%ile on. Thanks for letting me ramble--NB
"Thanks for letting me ramble--NB"
ReplyDeleteThat's an amazing story. Thanks for rambling. (grin)
I always suspected that the "developmentally appropriate" crowd greatly underestimates what kids are capable of doing.