Spunky Homeschool

Reform Math

Apr. 20, 2006 at 8:43 AM

Homeschooling

If the thought of selecting a homeschool math curriculum stresses you out, don't worry you're not alone. Every homeschooler faces the decision of which math curriculum at some point in time. Saxon, Math-U-See, Singapore, there are so many out there to choose from. The choices can be daunting. (We use Saxon.)

Homeschoolers aren't the only ones stressing about math curriculum. In many parts of the country it's becoming divisive in the public schools. It's not just which curriculum but which method, traditional math or reform math. It's the reform math that is creating the stir.   

Seattle is the latest to introduce reform math into its school district; leaving many parents confused and unhappy.

Traditional math is just what its name implies. The traditional memorization, drill, and practice method. The teacher teaches and the student learns. Mastery of the basic concepts is believed necessary to teach higher math.

Reform math is a complete departure from traditional math.
Reform math also emphasizes estimating and being able to analyze whether the answer derived is correct and reasonable. Students are urged to use calculators from an early age, "because as adults, that's how we do it -- we either do mental math or use a calculator," said Ruth Balf, who teaches fourth and fifth grade at Olympic View Elementary.
The emphasis is on discovery of concepts by the student instead of teaching the concepts and mastery of them. (We wouldn't want to hurt their self esteem by telling them something's wrong!) So the teacher "guides" and the student "discovers" the answers. Or at least makes a good guess. Here's an example,

How do you convert a fraction to a decimal? Divide the numerator by the denominator? Not in CMP [Reformed] math. That might call for long division. Too difficult! CMP students use "models." They have 9 "fraction strips," with a separate fraction strip for the denominators 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, and 12. Students also have a "hundreds strip." To convert 7/8 to a decimal, the student compares the eighths strip to the hundreds strip, looking to see where 7/8 "hits" the hundreds strip. Answers can be expected to range from .86 to .89. The "right answer" is .87 or .88
To make it even more confusing, it varies from year to year which method is used. This leaves huge gaps in students' foundational math skills. Parents are so baffled by the reform math that they can't even help their children with their homework. "Family math nights" are being offered by the district to teach parents how to help their children.

I tutored a fourth grade public school girl in math recently. I asked her to bring her math book to our session. Her mother told me she wasn't allowed to bring it home. How can you do your homework without the book? Further, she told me all her homework made no sense to her or her daughter. Most of the problems had to be solved in a group. To complicate it even more, her daughter didn't even have basic addition memorized. In desperation the mother came to me looking for materials in basic math skills.

This all reminds me of the "inventive" spelling that they introduced into the schools years ago. Now reformers want to tinker with math the same way. And they wonder why we're behind other countries?

So if you're a homeschooler baffled by which curriculum, take heart. You're not alone. But at least your in control of how they are taught and they won't be guinea pigs for the "dumbing them down" reform math.  

If you're a public school parent (and many readers here are) then I would be beating a path to my child's school demanding to see the math curriculum.

Some parents are ready to ditch the public schools over this issue. Here's what one Seattle parent said,

"It would be very depressing to me," she said. She says she's a firm supporter of public schools -- "but if they muck up the math, I'm going somewhere else."
Here's some websites if you would like to learn more about reform math.
Mathematically Correct
The Root Cause of the Math Wars Reform Mathematics

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11 Comments and Trackbacks

posted by CommunicationFUNdamentals on Apr. 20, 2006 at 10:30 AM

I am a victim of the public school system of the 70s where they began "creative spelling". I am the worst speller! One of my frustrations is that i have to look everything up or ask my dd! She and my dh are very good spellers. I actually have no idea how she became that way unless it is inborn. You know, the spelling gene? lol I think perhaps I just didn't confuse the spelling out of her!

I am all for creative homeschooling, but there are certain things that are best left alone. Math and spelling would be two.

JoJo

posted by on Apr. 20, 2006 at 12:48 PM

My husband (a public school third grade teacher) had to deal with this very issue this past fall when his school district tried to ban timed tests and rote memorization of math facts in favor of "process." Thankfully, the teachers rebelled and the idea was canned. You would have thought that they would have learned from the "invented spellings" fiasco. This kind of stuff always affirms our decision to home school! Anyway, thanks for the articles. I am new to the blogosphere, but I have decided to comment on it as well. Have a great day!

Melissa (aka FormerTeacher)

Edited by formerteacher on Apr. 20, 2006 at 9:50 AM

posted by edenz713 on Apr. 20, 2006 at 1:16 PM

As an addition to the mention of calculators: My husband was a substitute teacher in the Ann Arbor school district. In one of the classes he taught, they had the first graders using calculators to learn to count to 100 - crazy!

posted by Anonymous on Apr. 20, 2006 at 2:20 PM

My husband is a former public school teacher. He taught middle and high school math. He said it was so frustrating to teach it because the kids just didn't get these "new curriculms". He was taught the "traditional way" and he felt like it was a good way to teach math, and a good building block for higher math. He said if he can take numerical analysis in graduate school based on how he was taught, then it was good enough for everyone of his students. One of the reasons he left his job was because it was frustrating and with the NCLB Act in place it pretty much tied his hands at being a good, effective teacher.
So even teachers, good teachers are leaving public schools over the mucking up of the math.-- Kim

posted by Boltbabe on Apr. 20, 2006 at 8:09 PM

I just read an article about this last night. Your post meant I didn't have to blog in detail, about it. Thank you! I posted an article and a link here for others to get more info. =)

posted by My4LittleWomen on Apr. 20, 2006 at 8:24 PM

I totally agree with everything you have said, EXCEPT that some non-traditional math programs work really, really well. Eg, my kids have used and love Miquon. It is very non-traditional, and does use some "discovery-oriented" techniques. However, it also does really teach them to learn the math facts and concepts, which I don't think most "reform" math really does.

One thing I noticed in your quotes: the expert quoted said that most adults either use mental math or go get a calculator. So, why are we taking away from our kids the ability to use one of the two methods that most adults use? In not having them learn to do the mental math, they then will not be able to use this, as adults.

(I will also add, though, that through repeated use, my kids did learn the multiplication tables, by the end of 4th grade, without any drill. I gave them a multiplication chart, and they were free to look it up whenever they wanted to. As they used it over and over, they picked up the ones they didn't know. They didn't go to the work of using the chart for anything they already knew, so they were not dependent on it, long term. This has worked twice for me, now. However, it also doesn't sound like the "reform math" programs being discussed give the oportunity for repeated practice and using difficult concepts, either.)

posted by spunkyhomeschool on Apr. 20, 2006 at 8:38 PM

I am very familiar with Miquon. It teaches children to see patterns in numbers to help solve equations for an exact answer. This is not the same as reform math. Yes, it uses discovery but not in the same way as Miquon does.

Also, not all drill is the same thing. By having the times chart in front of them and doing repeated problems, they were being drilled. Not in the 100 problems in 3 minutes fashion but it is drill none the less.

My children learned their multiplication by skip counting. Without using a chart at all. Multiplication is fast adding of the same number. That's exactly what skip counting is. So we learned to skip count all the numbers and without very little effort they learned their multiplication. This skill also comes in very handy when teaching fractional equivalents which all of my 5 learned without much effort as well.

posted by blestwithsons on Apr. 20, 2006 at 11:47 PM

Man! That reform math just doesn't add up!

(maniacal laughter)

sidebar... We just bought Math U See... I am so excited! I've heard it is really good for Asperger kids.

posted by Melkhi on Apr. 21, 2006 at 12:00 AM

A couple years ago, I helped the piano teacher's 4th grade daughter do her math during my kids' lessons. There was so much emphasis on estimating and she even got poor grades on her homework if she calculated the exact answer. Her mom and I also became very frustrated over some of her assignments that took us a long time to figure out even from reading the math book. We had never seen anything like it. Once we figured out how to do the problems, we still didn't understand the point. Of course, the teacher hadn't explained it well enough in class for the girl to understand how to do it herself. I also noticed that the girl counted on her fingers to figure out basic addition and subtraction. My younger kids knew their math facts cold. Last year in 5th grade, the girl had so much trouble and stress with a poor teacher (especially when it came to math) that she developed an ulcer and had a note from the doctor requesting that she be moved to a different teacher.

We use Singapore math, and while it is not a perfect math program, it does a much better job of explaining concepts and emphasizing mental math than what I had growing up in school.

posted by gottsegnet on Apr. 21, 2006 at 6:44 AM

There are good points to a lot of programs...and bad. Some of the issues raised in the various reformed math/new math programs are valid instructional tools and objectives. But they go way overboard. Drill and kill isn't good, either...that is actually what I learned with and I never understood what I was doing. I did not know how to approach a problem that I had not memorized because I did not really understand what multiplication was...and was vague on addition and subtraction because we were taught memorization only and were never allowed to use our fingers/manipulatives.

I think it goes back to my little model of the world...these systems believe that sovereignty lies with the individual so he can create his own right answers. He doesn't need to be instructed...only guided to discover what he really already knows.

posted by gottsegnet on Apr. 21, 2006 at 4:02 PM

I don't think that comment was very clear...I definitely agree with you on the reformed math. "Traditional" programs are what are being pushed with NCLB and that is why they are so popular. They have their own problems and the new math programs tend to answer these problems in the extreme. Students need more opportunity to "explore" mathematical reasoning, not just be fed the information as I was in school. But they over-adjust and do this to the exclusion of learning the principles of the subject.

Personally, I see it as a natural outcome of an increasingly relativistic society. There can be no absolutes...even Einstein said something about not knowing whether 2 + 2 always equalled 4. We haven't added it in every circumstance.

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