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Math

Math Shouldn't be a Struggle to Teach or to Learn

Despite our best efforts and new teaching methods, math scores have only improved slightly. Researchers believe that the number of students with math learning difficulties is at least as large as the number of students with reading problems. This is a concern, as our students must compete in a technologically advanced society.
Clearly, we need to find better ways to teach math. Too many students are underperforming. Too many teachers are struggling to effectively teach math. Math should be magic, not a subject to avoid or to cause anxiety.

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) is so concerned that they made the first major shift in math standards in over 15 years. NCTM Curriculum Focal Points calls for a balanced approach to math — that the meaningful aspects of math (concepts and strategies) are balanced with memory intensive math (facts and procedures). Focal Points calls for an end to math instruction that is “a mile wide and an inch deep.”

At each grade level there are three Focal Points, replacing dozens of standards. Students delve deeply into the meaning and memory aspects of each Focal Point. Few students are left behind by instruction that rapidly moves on. Armed with a deep conceptual understanding of math and a ready store of math facts and procedures that are fully equipped to become excellent problems.

This is the Math Makes Sense! approach to math.

Baltimore City Schools placed 300 of their most at-risk math students on Math Makes Sense! In 4 months the students had made almost a year’s progress.
Their teachers reported that the students became eager for math lessons and asked to do word problems!

When Math Makes Sense and Math Facts are Automatic

The solution for struggling math students with their memory issues, math anxiety, avoidance behaviors, and problems with number sense is a balanced approach to math. To solve math problems from addition to algebra, students need math memory — facts and procedures — coordinated with meaning — concepts, number sense and strategies.

Consistent with new ideas about learning mathematics …..number sense and concepts, skills and strategy use must grow and develop in a coordinated manner for successful representation and problem solving to occur”

Dr. Curtis L. Pyke, The George Washington University

This is the Math Makes Sense! solution. A balanced approach to math memory and meaning for maximized problem solving. Math Makes Sense! is the first program to align with NCTM Focal Points. Math Makes Sense! focuses on developing number sense, the key to understanding and enjoying math instruction.

Number sense:

· is the foundation from which all other mathematical concepts and ideas arise.

· is good intuition about numbers and their relationships.

· not only leads to automatic use of math information, but also is a key ingredient in the ability to solve basic arithmetic computations.

Dr. Russell Gersten, Eugene Research Institute and Dr. David Chard, University of Texas, Austin

Math Makes Sense! includes:

· Number sense is the focus — Math only has magic when students understand it. Pages of calculations are replaced by meaningful practice. For example, place value and its relationship to counting, operations and decimals is a focal point.

· Meaningful practice — Each page is a focused lesson. Gone are the helter-skelter of math boxes a la Everyday Math™

· Independent instructional level — not pages of every increasingly difficult calculations that reach frustrational levels

· Visual representations of concepts — Math is about merging visual concepts with language.