The Unintended Consequences of Investigations "New" Math
Video Below
Video Below
The frustration with Math curricula in this country has reached a cacophonous pitch,
especially with our cultural math-phobia and so much riding on Math literacy: our SAT scores, our financial and economic literacy, our interest in STEM. The debate has much to do with traditional Math vs. "new" Math (aka Everyday, Terc, Investigations).
We are big fans of Singapore Math here at The Daily Riff, as illustrated through our multi-part series, Singapore Math Demystified!, as a must-read in Math, parent, and educator circles.
Singapore Math combines the traditional algorithms (aka "stacked" addition) with visualizations often associated with more "constructivist" Math - the best of both worlds without short-shrifting either "camp's" raison d'etre.
Do check out the video below, described as "A 3rd grade student explains how to solve a "hard" addition problem using the TERC/Investigations method she learned in school."
Also, check out the conversation going on about this topic over at Out in Left Field - it's the catalyst for this post. However, don't think that "new Math," is better suited for right- brainers because of the emphasis of conceptualization. The jury is obviously still out on that one. It has not proven to be "SuperMath."
One needs not go farther than to look at an Everyday Math textbook - a heavy behemoth jammed and crammed with numerous fonts, pictures, topics - and a Singapore
Math book. Then ask, is "more" truly more?
- C.J. Westerberg
Other related posts:
Singapore Math: Is This The Most Visual Math?
Why Our Kids Don't Get Math
Why Other Countries Do Better In Math
An Inconvenient Truth in Math Education: A Very Viral Video - Terc & Everyday Math
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