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Yep. That's the current 'soup de jour' of math pedagogy these days.
It's called "spiraling" and it is an utter joke IMHO (at least in the younger years when they have the attention span of a gnat). Mine were continually frustrated at having to relearn a concept all over again. Mine were certainly not the only ones. I think I know about 3 people in my town who didn't have their kids tutored.
It was a double-edged sword though because having the kids tutored would make them better at math obviously, and then EDM would get all the credit. Facebook even has a page called "Parents Against Everyday Math" and it's at nearly 900 members now.
I would definitely find her a tutor. I'm currently looking for one for my DD (now in 6th and has had it since Kindergarten) before it's too, too, late.
Good luck to you.
I've heard it called "The Math Wars", basically you are looking at the newer conceptual math vs. the traditional math (algorithm memorization). Elementary schools seem to teach more conceptual math while secondary stays with the traditional math. I don't think the spiraling is as much of the problem as learning so many different ways to solve a problem. It does create a lot of confusion with some students. With conceptual math, I've seen students taught long division without knowing all their math facts. It was bizarre at first but it can be done although it takes a lot longer to reach the answer.
What conceptual math seems lack is an emphasis on multiplication. I don't see an emphasis on learning the 1-12 multiplication as you would with traditional math. This frustrates many middle school math teachers as they come in not knowing some basic information for traditional math.
I like the idea of conceptual math but I don't think it should be taught in the elem. schools. I think you need a good foundation in math to really understand the conceptual math approach.
Why not? If your child is struggling and needs some extra attention why not get them a tutor? Should I just let her struggle and get farther behind? Or should I be proactive in her education and do something to help her?
I've heard it called "The Math Wars", basically you are looking at the newer conceptual math vs. the traditional math (algorithm memorization). Elementary schools seem to teach more conceptual math while secondary stays with the traditional math. I don't think the spiraling is as much of the problem as learning so many different ways to solve a problem. It does create a lot of confusion with some students. With conceptual math, I've seen students taught long division without knowing all their math facts. It was bizarre at first but it can be done although it takes a lot longer to reach the answer.
What conceptual math seems lack is an emphasis on multiplication. I don't see an emphasis on learning the 1-12 multiplication as you would with traditional math. This frustrates many middle school math teachers as they come in not knowing some basic information for traditional math.
I like the idea of conceptual math but I don't think it should be taught in the elem. schools. I think you need a good foundation in math to really understand the conceptual math approach.
I agree with what you're saying (especially the elementary school comment) but I will say that spiraling only works (IMO) for those kids who are good at remembering. Those who are not so good will forget what they learned before, and therein lies the frustration of a lot of them.
My first posts with city data eons ago were caused by my frustration with conceptual math and my trying to find out more information about it. I've had a long history with it now, and I am fully convinced it's a lousy way to teach (especially younger) children math.
Solid division skills are sorely lacking IMHO as well. At the third revision (which interestingly becomes more and more like traditional with every 'revision" ) place more emphasis on fractions (since there were practically none or very little prior) so that's good, but now our problem is that they've switched to Connected Mathematics which is nearly totally DISconnected from EDM.
They are planning to change it to a more traditional program next year (provided the budget allows it) and for that I'm thankful.
Why not? If your child is struggling and needs some extra attention why not get them a tutor? Should I just let her struggle and get farther behind? Or should I be proactive in her education and do something to help her?
I agree.
If a child was struggling to learn how to swim or needed some help perfecting a particular stroke wouldn't you either try to help them yourself or get them some help from a swim coach?
Why not? If your child is struggling and needs some extra attention why not get them a tutor? Should I just let her struggle and get farther behind? Or should I be proactive in her education and do something to help her?
I also agree. It is fairly common, but it can get expensive for some.
I also agree. It is fairly common, but it can get expensive for some.
I'd say that tutors are expensive for most people. Last I checked, professional tutors run around $40-$80/hr depending on the subject and the tutor's experience.
Why pay a tutor when she should be practicing her handwriting skills and improve those, which should in turn improve her tests scores since she will become more proficient with the handwriting. Then you can tell if it is the math itself or simply the handwriting, then you can make a better informed decision regarding the tutor.
Why pay a tutor when she should be practicing her handwriting skills and improve those, which should in turn improve her tests scores since she will become more proficient with the handwriting. Then you can tell if it is the math itself or simply the handwriting, then you can make a better informed decision regarding the tutor.
From what I have been experiencing with her it's a bit of both messy writing and not understanding some basic principals. I know she can write very well when she slows down and takes her time. We shall see what happens this week in math, then I will make my decision on whether or not to get her a tutor.
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Facebook even has a page called "Parents Against Everyday Math" and it's at nearly 900 members now. 
) place more emphasis on fractions (since there were practically none or very little prior) so that's good, but now our problem is that they've switched to Connected Mathematics which is nearly totally DISconnected from EDM. 
