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To: Academiadotorg
(retired math teacher) The original math manipulatives are fingers. That's why we have a base 10 number system. For children that young, 13-4 can be done counting the numbers from 5 to 13 on their fingers and see "what's left". Once they have the number figured out, they should say out loud "13-4 equals 9" as a group. I had a group of "academically challenged" first graders (huh?) knowing all of their basic subtraction facts in two 1-hour sessions that way.

Why fingers? It is so much better than giving the little darlings little wood cubes that just might get thrown awound the room, <^..^>

Just my opinion: support of "common core" math should be diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder.

7 posted on 04/28/2014 7:40:47 AM PDT by grania
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To: grania

“Just my opinion: support of “common core” math should be diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder.”

Best line I’ve ever seen about this mess! I think it’s designed to dumb-down kids and to totally discourage them about doing math. My friend has an MBA in managerial accounting and offered to tutor my 10-year-old granddaughter. My friend couldn’t make sense of it!!!


24 posted on 04/28/2014 8:03:12 AM PDT by JoyjoyfromNJ (everything written by me on FR is my personal opinion & does not represent my employer)
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To: grania
Why fingers? It is so much better than giving the little darlings little wood cubes that just might get thrown awound the room, <^..^>

I knew one teacher who used jelly beans. I asked why and was told, "a jelly bean is easier to get out of the nose then a dry bean."

25 posted on 04/28/2014 8:04:58 AM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (Proud Infidel, Gun Nut, Religious Fanatic and Freedom Fiend)
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To: grania

sadly, i still use my fingers! math was never my strong point no matter how hard i tried :(


37 posted on 04/28/2014 8:43:33 AM PDT by midnightcat
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To: grania

Hello retired math teacher. When my son was going through his primary school years in Hawaii, he had the benefit of 10 extra digits. He refused to wear shoes to school like his Hawaiian buddies :)

Math was never his best subject, so I started reading Piaget and Montessori and learned that children go through developmental changes when it comes to number and order.

As you well know, if you show a picture of an assortment of flowers ( a majority of which are roses) to a child and ask “Are there more roses in the picture or more flowers ?” Almost all kids will answer with ‘roses.” That is one of Piaget’s elemental stages of number conservation.

The point being that Common Core does not seem to acknowledge the great work of Piaget and confuses children’s understanding of grouping which is already not yet fully formed.

Children are unbelievable mind mops in their primary years. Rote and memorization work best and understanding can come later.


49 posted on 04/28/2014 10:15:32 AM PDT by A'elian' nation ("Political Correctness does not legislate tolerance; it only organizes hatred." Jacques Barzun)
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