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Math Makes Sense! Frequently Asked Questions

Is Math Makes Sense! appropriate for all students?
Yes, MMS! will significantly boost math capabilities for all students. MMS! is designed to close the gap between students that get math and those who are confused by it.

Is Math Makes Sense! a remedial program?
MMS! is designed for regular classroom and supplemental instruction. MMS! is the finest math instruction for remedial and special education students.

Is Math Makes Sense! easy to teach?
The workbook format requires very little prep time. There are currently no teacher guides, as there is little need. Home schooling parents and teachers with little training in advanced math instruction find the program easy to use.

Will I have time to teach math my way?
Math Makes Sense! is not the type of curriculum that leaves little time for teacher-directed instruction. MMS! workbooks require 20 to 30 minutes two to four times a week. This allows teachers to teach math their way – especially opened-end and discovery lessons.

Can I start using Third Grade Math Makes Sense! or is the program cumulative?
Each level of Math Makes Sense! teaches everything a student needs to be successful with numbers. Some math programs require that students start in first grade. Not MMS! Each grade level is self-contained.

How can a workbook provide the depth of understanding that math demands?
Math Makes Sense! is not your typical drill and skill workbook. MMS! is an activity book that provides broad and rich exposure to math skills, concepts and strategies. The MMS! workbook format gives students the structure and direction to explore fundamental concepts, develop essential strategies and develop automatic skills in math.

What is the instructional format of Math Makes Sense!?
MMS! uses a distributed instruction format. This is not a spiral, where five different skills or concepts might be taught during each lesson. Each page of MMS! focuses on one math concept or procedure. Every page has a different focus, to maximize attention, memory, understanding and transfer. The lessons are reinforced and there are concentrations where one concept is emphasized over many different lessons. Lessons on time, money, place value, number sense, measurement, etc. are integrated – not in separate units

Is there a balance between skills and concepts?
MMS! provides unified instruction in number sense, strategy development and factual knowledge. MMS! is evenly weighted between strategies, skills and concepts. Students develop a solid understanding of math concepts and knowledge of math facts and procedures.

How does Math Makes Sense! differ from Everyday Math ™?
A good way to learn about a subject is through compare and contrast exercises. Let’s compare MMS! to Everyday Math. Math Makes Sense! project director, Bruce Howlett, is a special education teacher with ten years of classroom experience using many math programs, including Everyday Math. Math Makes Sense! is a different approach to teaching all students math and allowing all teachers to be successful.

	Math Makes Sense!	Everyday Math ™?
Format	Single workbook per grade	800+ pages of Lesson Guides
Instructional Format	Distributed – One concept per page	Spiral – Up to 6 concepts per page
Curriculum Plan	Unified, sequential instruction of concepts, procedures and strategies	Exposure to year’s curriculum within the first month
Total Curriculum?	Covers all national standards for math instruction. Designed to strengthen existing math instruction or stand alone.	Total Curriculum – Very hard to find time during the first few years to teach other math.
Implementation	Structured, interactive workbook with lesson plans on each page. Little or no staff development necessary. Parents, home schoolers and teachers with little math experience will teach math well!	Complex implementation requiring significant staff development. First years are often very difficult for student and teacher
Prep Time	Minimal	Substantial
Memorization	High priority –facts are memorized in relationship to other facts, concepts and strategies. Recall exercises, too.	Memorization mostly via exposure. Limited practice.
Language	Math Makes Sense! is based on research into the speech (phonological) issues and language (especially semantics) of math. Vocabulary and directions are clear and brief. Designed for diverse language abilities.	Extensive reliance on teacher explanations and student verbalizations of math understanding. Extensive instructions to address language diversity.
Diverse Learners	MMS! will inspire math adverse students, while providing the concepts and strategies that engage advanced math students.	Spiral moves up constantly, challenging slower learners. Advanced learners miss some tasks and strategies and struggle when confronted with problems that require multiple strategies.
Mastery	Daily mastery of concept, skill and strategy	Mastery over months and years
Concrete vs. Abstract Learning	Math Makes Sense! provides unified practice with concrete examples, concepts and skills.	Constructivist approach – immersion in numbers will lead to understanding. Concrete examples are teacher directed.
Assessment	Math Makes Sense! assessment is coming!	Another manual and CD

How does Math Makes Sense! help students who can’t keep up.
The number of U.S. students who lack proficiency in math is staggering. Typically, math instruction progresses quite quickly – leaving many students with gaps. Math instruction is sequential, so even one missed skill or concept will leave students behind. Math Makes Sense! is designed to truly leave no child behind. The progression is gradual, providing students with dozens of ways of learning and mastering math facts and concepts. The broad and rich instruction supports students who struggle with math, while providing engaging experiences for more advanced math students.

Is there a teacher’s manual or answer key?
We are developing simple manuals and answer keys for MMS! – our summer project. Very few teachers will need extra teaching instructions. Each page of MMS! starts with a Lesson Box, explaining the math sense, the strategy, language and procedure. There are examples for most activities. This makes MMS! very easy to teach and fun to learn.

How does Math Makes Sense! meet state and NCTM standards?
Math Makes Sense! was not primarily designed to meet math standards, but rather on the finest scientific understanding of math acquisition. By meeting the instructions needs of students MMS! is aligned with most core math standards.

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) explicitly states that NCTM standards are not a math curriculum, but guidelines for exceptional math instruction. NCTM’s Principles and Standards for School Mathematics "sets ambitious goals for the teaching and learning of mathematics, including the following:

• Learning mathematics with understanding and acquiring the skills and knowledge needed to solve mathematical problems

• Having an in-depth knowledge of the traditional basics of mathematics as well as the expanded basics—such as data analysis and statistics—needed for the technological world in which we live

• Developing reasoning skills that will engender flexible and resourceful problem solving"

These are the same goals used to develop Math Makes Sense!

Is there research to back up Math Makes Sense!?
Math Makes Sense! is based on the broadest range of current research into the cognitive foundation of learning math – the memory, attention, retrieval, language processing and conceptualization of numbers. MMS! is based on extensive research into the speech (phonological) and language (semantic) roadblocks to learning math. Request a copy of the more than 40 references for Math Makes Sense!

Many research-based programs are ineffective when tested in real classrooms with real teachers – and under the severe teaching restraints of public education! Math Makes Sense! was extensively field tested – every page of the program was revised based on feedback from teachers and students.

Controlled experiments to determine the effectiveness of Math Makes Sense! are currently in the design phase. There are few, practical assessments for math to authentically measure achievement.

Help us collect data on Math Makes Sense! If you have a classroom or a school that would like to implement MMS! and understand the requirements for scientific data collection contact Bruce Howlett, Project Director for Math Makes Sense! We would love to work with you!

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