So, I was wondering what percentage of our struggles with the elementary math curriculum was materials-based and how much was child-based (since our lovely daughter makes no qualms about the fact that she HATES math).
Well, I'm getting an answer to that and it's...... largely materials-based. Because we now get to watch child #2 work through the totally incomprehensible math curriculum and get stuck for totally different reasons.
One concept in elementary math is estimation. They start working with multiplying double digits and one thing they do is some hokey version of guess-and-check. You have 7x23. First estimate your answer and then do the problem and check it. At this point I will note that I've never been clear on how much of an "estimate" is allowed here. Like - are you supposed to say "23 is like 20, so the answer should be close to 7x20 = 140" or can you just look at the thing and say "yeah, 475 looks good." I don't know - there is no real direction on that.
This was a problem for Allison because she never grasped the concept of estimating. And to be honest - I didn't want her to grasp that concept. Getting her to slow down and do the problem as it was supposed to be done was challenging enough. "Wait - I get to guess! Wow, I can get this done quickly!!"
So for her I took the rounding approach mentioned above. "Well, 47 is close to 50 and 50 times three is what..... 150, good - write that. Now let's DO the problem for real."
Jacob is now on the same material and the challenge for him is different. He can estimate, but doesn't want to. He wants to know the answer. He wants to solve the problem in his head, write down the answer as the estimate, then solve it on paper and pat himself on the back for being such a good guesser. "But Mom, 7 x 23 is 161. Why do you want me to write anything other than 161 as the answer to this problem?" I don't know, man.... I don't know. Just do it, will you?
This begs the question of - Who is this serving? What kid is learning better this way?
And stay-tuned for my follow-up post: Why is that wrong answer not wrong; and why is that correct answer not correct? a.k.a. - how to get partial credit on a multiple choice math exam.
1 comment:
I agree. I HATE estimating. The only real-life application I can think of is when I'm at the grocery store with limited dollars in my purse and I need to know that I don't have too many items in my shopping cart. But of course, now that I use plastic at the store, I NEVER have too many items.
Really, I think estimating is an advanced concept that should be taught much, much later. Once kids know how to get the correct answers and are very confident with their skills, THEN they could learn that, oh yeah, if you just need a general answer, you can estimate. For example, Mom is twenty something years older than Jacob, and Grandma is twenty something years older than Mom, so that makes Grandma approximately 48. Now THAT is a great reason for estimating!!!
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