Math program in Chapel Hill Schools (home, calculated, moving)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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Wake started using Math Expressions this year. From what I've read about the different programs I think it's the lesser of the evils mentioned in this thread. I actually think it's one of the more traditional programs out there right now.
So what's so awful about these various math programs that have been mentioned? Is it just that the parents have difficulty with them, or do they not work well in the classroom either?
With Envisions, there is no wiggle room for differentiation, everyone does the same thing. Most teachers I've seen add their own stuff to it. I'd personally love to see a shift back toward traditional math instruction mixed with Investigations.
When I lived in Chapel Hill they were using Everyday Math. What was so awful about the program was that there were no textbooks, so as a parent you really had no idea what they were learning. Furthermore, I don't recall my child being drilled on the multiplication tables or addition facts. Where I live now they do drill these facts with a more traditional math program. I felt math with Everyday Math was too loosey goosey.
When I lived in Chapel Hill they were using Everyday Math. What was so awful about the program was that there were no textbooks, so as a parent you really had no idea what they were learning. Furthermore, I don't recall my child being drilled on the multiplication tables or addition facts. Where I live now they do drill these facts with a more traditional math program. I felt math with Everyday Math was too loosey goosey.
This hasn't been my experience. Seems like the kids have always had math textbooks, and we did multiplication tables for a couple of years in mid-elementary school years.
Envisions does things like "estimate" and then the pictures don't represent what possible answers are. I don't get it. The kids seem confused too. We are always putting notes on the homework and teachers write notes back. I feel they don't like it very much either.
How can estimate answers be instructive in math. There is no either or in math as far as I'm concerned.
I sure wouldn't want a clerk to estimate my change or a doctor to estimate my test levels.
How can estimate answers be instructive in math. There is no either or in math as far as I'm concerned. I sure wouldn't want a clerk to estimate my change or a doctor to estimate my test levels.
No, but if a child can quickly estimate what the correct answer will be, it can make it that much quicker/easier to solve to the actual answer. We're working on this right now as we do EOG prep - trying to get the kid to estimate what the correct answer to a problem is, then looking at the given choices and ruling out those that aren't close to the estimate. He can then usually determine which of the remaining choices is correct using the facts of the problem without having to work through a laborious set of calculations.
No, but if a child can quickly estimate what the correct answer will be, it can make it that much quicker/easier to solve to the actual answer. We're working on this right now as we do EOG prep - trying to get the kid to estimate what the correct answer to a problem is, then looking at the given choices and ruling out those that aren't close to the estimate. He can then usually determine which of the remaining choices is correct using the facts of the problem without having to work through a laborious set of calculations.
If I'm understanding you correctly, it's time to throw out EOG exams. That is a completely ridiculous approach to teaching math. The whole point is to understand how to get to a correct answer, not quickly approximating so you can circumvent a multiple choice question.
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What's wrong with Everyday Math?
