Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Renegade parents teach old math on the sly/ Government schools
http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Jul15/0,4670,MathontheSly,00.html ^ | July 15, 2008 | JOCELYN NOVECK

Posted on 07/18/2008 6:28:41 AM PDT by wintertime

This article is about parents who are teaching traditional math at home on the sly to their children.

The previous article was pulled. Perhaps it was due to quoting Fox. I hope this thread is not pulled, the topic deserves discussion.

Wintertime

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: homeschool; matheducation; saxonmath; saxonmethod
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 241-257 next last

1 posted on 07/18/2008 6:28:41 AM PDT by wintertime
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: wintertime

We’ve done so. My son said of the old math, “Well Dad that makes more sense to me.”


2 posted on 07/18/2008 6:34:35 AM PDT by Slapshot68
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: wintertime
Darn right..Someone has to do it. Also teaching spelling on the side. Couldn't believe teachers didn't correct spelling because it shuts down creativeness.

Guess teachers have never read novels...

3 posted on 07/18/2008 6:36:13 AM PDT by Sacajaweau (I'm planting corn...Have to feed my car...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: wintertime

It’s an AP story. Excerpts of AP stories are shot on sight.


4 posted on 07/18/2008 6:37:35 AM PDT by Admin Moderator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: wintertime
I read the article. Some of the newer math is pretty downright cool. And in my time, I refused to allow my kids to use manipulatives in math, until they'd mastered the rote learning of math. They were permitted to use the newer math, and I do not mean rainforest math, but this was only after they'd learned the traditional methods.

The article was fairly covered in re the subject matter.

However, I'll cite an anology I've seen zillions of times in the non-school world.

At the cash register of any retail business. Amount due is $20.61. Customer forks out 40.11. -- The change due the customer would be $19.50 -- an even amount, less change to trot out and around.

Some customers are very arrogant about this.

They shouldn't be. It was due how they were taught math; not that they are necessarily "smarter" at math.

5 posted on 07/18/2008 6:39:01 AM PDT by Alia
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Alia

Really a bad example. Most people would submit $40.61. They want that $20.00 bill.


6 posted on 07/18/2008 6:43:51 AM PDT by Sacajaweau (I'm planting corn...Have to feed my car...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Admin Moderator

Is this one going to be pulled too, since it’s also written by an AP writer?

I pinged the Public School ping list to the last one, but I’m waiting your determination on this one.


7 posted on 07/18/2008 6:44:00 AM PDT by Amelia
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: wintertime

The article quotes a mother of a 10-year-old, she has “degrees” plural, from Stanford and Barnard, but “I’m such a numbskull!” She can’t cope with the math taught to a public school child aged 10.


8 posted on 07/18/2008 6:44:28 AM PDT by 668 - Neighbor of the Beast (Only a Kennedy between us and tyranny.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Amelia

We’ve moved toward using Gannett rules regarding AP material. Headline and link only, regardless of source.


9 posted on 07/18/2008 6:51:17 AM PDT by Admin Moderator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Alia

I’ve had cashiers get confused when I hand them $20.10 for an item that cost $5.05. It’s because I don’t have a nickel, but I’d rather have a ten, a five and a nickel than a ten, four ones and 95 cents change.


10 posted on 07/18/2008 6:52:06 AM PDT by antiRepublicrat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Sacajaweau
Really a bad example. Most people would submit $40.61. They want that $20.00 bill.

If they had 61 cents in change, most people would just submit $20.61 rather than handing the clerk an extra $20 just to have it handed back to them.

11 posted on 07/18/2008 6:52:49 AM PDT by VRWCmember
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Alia
I'll go one step further. Newer math makes assumptions based on past, provable theory, e.g., long division, etc. Newer math is much faster especially in re the 4 basic calculating methods. When my children were doing long division, say, I observed they paid greater attention to details in their lives. When they moved on to newer math means, they weren't as attentive to smaller details, but they accomplished the problem sets much faster.

Both methods have purpose and meaning contingent upon what they are to be used for, in application. Some jobs require attention to detail; some require a faster processing time.

I think the schools are trying to "process" the children up to a par in math as a standard; this is good.

I've been through the hellacious math wars in CA. I do mean hell.

Imagine junior high. Where as many as 5 to 10 k-5(or 6's) feed into the junior high. Each of those k-5 schools used different forms of math. Now entering the same classrooms. Egads, I saw it. It was a mess. And that's not even to take into account slower/fast students; math ability.

I felt for the teachers, to be sure; as well as the students.

So, no. I would never refer to these parents teaching their children traditional division at home as "renegades". If their child has not been exposed to traditional division, this is an additional learning for them, an important one. Contrariwise, the parents might try to learn some of the newer methods being taught.

My hat is off to those parents working with their children at home. And to those teachers struggling to find the parity line of which method to use in a classroom full of students whose background to date in math has been more than likely all over the map.

12 posted on 07/18/2008 6:54:02 AM PDT by Alia
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: antiRepublicrat
Yours is exactly what I'm talking about. And I don't mean arrogance. It's how you were taught math, that you do this.

Folks whose math education was purely long add/div, won't tend to do this. Their synapses have been trained a specific way. It's not necessarily that the person at the cash register is "dumb" at math. They were trained to a longer process in doing math.

13 posted on 07/18/2008 6:57:05 AM PDT by Alia
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Admin Moderator

Thanks. That’s helpful to know. I didn’t think we were accepting anything from AP, period.


14 posted on 07/18/2008 6:58:45 AM PDT by Amelia
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Gabz; SoftballMominVA; abclily; aberaussie; albertp; AliVeritas; Amelia; A_perfect_lady; ...

Public Education Ping

This list is for intellectual discussion of articles and issues related to public education (including charter schools) from the preschool to university level. Items more appropriately placed on the “Naughty Teacher” list, “Another reason to Homeschool” list, or of a general public-school-bashing nature will not be pinged. If you would like to be on or off this list, please freepmail Amelia, Gabz, Shag377, or SoftballMominVa
15 posted on 07/18/2008 7:00:35 AM PDT by Amelia
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: adopt4Christ; Amelia; MrB; Boiling point; Cincinnatus; Clintonfatigued; Coleus; darkangel82; ...
I recently posted this education article. Since those managing the Public Education Ping list do not include me on their ping list, I am pinging you directly.

If you do not want to be contacted *please** let me know, and I will remove your name. I surely wouldn’t wish to bother you, but I don’t want you to miss these education articles, either.

“The All Opinions Welcome Government Education Ping List” !

For those who are interested in a full and open discussion about government education.

Please ping me if you would like to be included or removed from this list. i>

16 posted on 07/18/2008 7:02:06 AM PDT by wintertime (Good ideas win! Why? Because people are NOT stupid)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Alia

“At the cash register of any retail business. Amount due is $20.61. Customer forks out 40.11. — The change due the customer would be $19.50 — an even amount, less change to trot out and around.”

I do that sort of thing all the time to avoid pennies, or to receive quarters instead of smaller change.

I often get odd looks, but since most all cash registers figure the change, all the cashier has to do is correctly input the amount a customer gave them.

If today’s population had to actually figure change, the entire nation would grind to a halt as everyone stood in line waiting for their change, and arguing over the correct amount.


17 posted on 07/18/2008 7:02:23 AM PDT by Will88
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Amelia

Gee! Amelia, I see that you have changed your policy of not pinging my threads. How nice of you! ( Really)


18 posted on 07/18/2008 7:03:05 AM PDT by wintertime (Good ideas win! Why? Because people are NOT stupid)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: Alia

In my area, students aren’t required to learn times-tables anymore. We spent a lot of time drilling our youngest on those, because they weren’t emphasized in school anymore...someone had decided that students didn’t need to know math facts anymore because calculators are so readily available.

What I’ve found with my students is that since they don’t really have a good grasp on basic math facts, (1) they can’t readily tell when they’ve put the numbers in the calculator incorrectly, and (2) they are unable or unwilling to attempt calculations without a calculator.


19 posted on 07/18/2008 7:03:47 AM PDT by Amelia
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Alia

Not true. I was taught Saxon math - pure long division, multiplication, etcetera - but I can figure out how much change to give a clerk to get quarters back. And unlike too many math victims, I can figure out what my change should be.


20 posted on 07/18/2008 7:04:21 AM PDT by JenB
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 241-257 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson