I, too understand the world and kids have changed...it's the same
thing OUR parents/teachers said.
I have changed also and have tried to keep abreast of all the
new...good and bad. I realize we must teach "how kids learn" and
I'm okay with that. Some of the tried and true methods that were
taught "back in the day", just don't apply today.
But, just as English teachers don't want students turning in essays
in text message speak (unless that's the assignment!), neither do
math teachers want students doing ALL computations (without first
understanding concepts) on a calculator or computer. There is just
sense in all things.

Toward the end of the school year I let my 7th grade math students
use the calculator to work some rather tedious surface area and
volume problems. Most of them did quite a bit better and it made
it fun for them to do the problems instead of laboriously
multiplying and dividing and squaring large numbers. I knew that
they KNEW how to multiply and divide, but they make SO many
careless errors when doing it by hand. I wish they didn't, but
that is just how it is. Unfortunately, on the state test students
cannot use calculators until the 9th grade, so I have to make them
keep plugging away at that tedium on other occasions.
I don't know why I thought of that, or what it has to do with the
post, but I just thought I'd share! ;-)

I am going to a chess workshop in a few weeks. I want to start a
chess club at my school, or at least introduce my students to the
game of chess. I've never really played chess before, but want to
learn so that I can teach my students. I think it will be a great
game to learn logic and strategy and patience. I'm hoping it
catches on. I've seen it done at other schools and it HAS caught
on. I think kids just have to be introduced and encouraged to try
new things. I realize there are online and video games of strategy
and logic, but there is just something about sitting down at a
chess board that appeals to me.

I agree that there is a point at which we shouldn't keep pushing
down the concepts to lower and lower levels. Any educator should
know or remember Piaget's stages of intellectual development.
There are certain concepts that children just are not ready for at
certain ages or levels of development. Sure, they may be able to
regurgitate the lesson, but is there a true grasp of the concepts
that leads to real understanding so that they CAN remember it by
the time they get to higher levels of math.

I guess I'm an old fogey too, but I'm trying to keep up with the
times. I just see so many students struggling with math and I
can't figure out where the gaps are beginning and sometimes I can't
figure out how to even fill in the gaps without severe remediation.

Just my thoughts...as rambling as they might be.

On 6/28/09, DSF/NJ wrote:
> I am also an 'old fogey' and while I understand how the world has
> changed, I am also aware that kids have changed - and not for the
> better.
>
> They may be entering school able to 'point and click' but the
> ability to sequence events and strategize is often lacking. This
> was something I learned playing board and card games - before I
> even went to kindergarten. Checkers, rummy, casino, ... kids
> don't play board games anymore --- and they don't read!
>
> I just wonder if 'pushing down' the concepts is a set of lessons
> in futility - can children's brains even handle this information?
> I mean, if we start teaching concepts of area starting in
> kindergarten, and continue teaching it on a slightly deeper level
> each year - then why can't my kids understand area in grade 8?
> Surely after 8 years they should have absorbed something? Yet
> when they get to grade 8, I find myself starting from scratch.
>
> btw, as far as starting from 6 or 3 when adding 6+3 on their
> fingers --- i would be happy either way. Mine start from the
> beginning and count up to 6 BEFORE adding the 3 (or vice versa).
> in other words - they can't even put up 6 fingers w/out counting.
> no wonder no one can make change anymore.
>

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