Originally Posted by lovelyl
Originally Posted by bearisgray
Can't go knocking "all" the youngsters -
Many of them are taking Advanced Placement classes and are way ahead of the game.
"Some" are very math/arithmetic deficient. So are some "adults"
Maybe some of the responsibility for what kids are taught should be placed on the school boards and who controls the school boards?
Last year, after 12 years as a media specialist in my district, I went back into the classroom to teach 4th grade math and science after the district did away with school librarians. I was stunned that the district's math program (adopted by our curriculum dept. and school board) did not advocate memorization of basic math facts and kids were encouraged to count on fingers and/or use calculators. I know not every child can memorize math facts easily, but all can memorize some! I encourage it, but am told I am not teaching the curriculum the way it is written. I really worry about what will happen when these kids are adults. When I give a quiz on basic facts, you can almost feel a breeze in the classroom from so many kids counting on their fingers. But by the time I get them in 4th grade, their habits are set. They can't add 6 plus 6 yet and I have to teach them multiplication, division, and long division!
Counting on the fingers should be for 1st, 2nd, maybe 3rd. Our 4th graders are expected to memorize the multiplication tables and are given tests on them. BUT they do not fail if they fail to do so. And they "learn" the facts for the test but then quickly forget it. Then the 5th grade teachers have to let the kids use the calculators or use fingers or just look at a chart to get the work done. They can't hold up a whole class to "re-learn" last year's work.
The kid's just say, "I'll always have my phone (with calculator) with me. I don't need to know this." The parents don't insist on these things because they just want their darlings to get an A in class. And the "experts" say their lack of memory is because of computers; the knowledge they fail to learn is always at their fingertips.
'Round and 'round we go!