I help my 9 yr old GS with homework each afternoon. He is in 4th grade and is in the process of being tested for dyslexia, etc. Last week I got this paper explaining that we were to now do multiplication with their new lattice technique.... What THE *&^*&^. Imagine this. Draw a windowpane with 4 windows in it and draw a line from bottom left to top right in each "pane" to make a triangle. Put top number of the problem on top over "panes" and put the bottom number of the problem down the side of the "panes" then multiply it out and put the answers for the ones section in the bottom triangles and then multiply the tens and put the answers in the top triangles then add from bottom right to top left putting the answer under the corresponding windowpanes and up the left side.... Do HUH??? After more than an hour and 2 problems done I tossed the example paper in the air (behind the couch) and said lets try this. Then I showed him how us "old" people did it. 10 problems done in 30 min... worked out on the homework paper. I got a note "requesting" that "I" give the "new" technique a chance....My question is why? If it ain't broke, don't fix it..especially with a child that is already in Special Ed...