On the whole, I'm in the book burning camp. Everyday Math might be a good supplement but it's a lousy curriculum. Parts of Everyday Math could have some value for the kids who need to know why/how math is important and useful in life. (The ones like me who say, "Show me what you can do with this!") Learning what you can apply it to is wonderful but that comes AFTER YOU'VE MASTERED THE BASIC ARITHMETIC SKILLS of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. What was wrong with rote memorization of math facts the way I learned 40 years ago? I recognize there are many different learning styles and some kids might need to "discover" an answer on his/her own. But after that, it should be committed to memory. At the end of 3rd grade, you should KNOW 8x7, not be figuring it out.
On the whole, I'm in the book burning camp. Everyday Math might be a good supplement but it's a lousy curriculum. Parts of Everyday Math could have some value for the kids who need to know why/how math is important and useful in life. (The ones like me who say, "Show me what you can do with this!") Learning what you can apply it to is wonderful but that comes AFTER YOU'VE MASTERED THE BASIC ARITHMETIC SKILLS of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. What was wrong with rote memorization of math facts the way I learned 40 years ago? I recognize there are many different learning styles and some kids might need to "discover" an answer on his/her own. But after that, it should be committed to memory. At the end of 3rd grade, you should KNOW 8x7, not be figuring it out.
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