"The math text used in Wilmette's District 39 is Everyday Math. K-4. This is math stuck on stupid. Despite protests of parents over the years, despite the NCTM acknowledgement that fuzzy math has fizzled, our kids are still stuck with these kind of books. In fact, we just replaced one fuzzy math set of books..."
So writes Backyard Conservative in this eye opening and distressing piece about math and why Johnny can't add. Or subtract. Or multiply. You gotta wonder how many work groups and committees this b.s. was approved by before it was given the green light.
Watching that video made me furious. Unfortunately I don't have the time for a complete refutation now, but I hope to have the opportunity to put one on my blog in the near future.
ReplyDeleteMy main problem is that this is a fear of what is different. Not once does she give results of follow on studies and statistically significant examples of failures of these systems. All of her examples are personal anecdotes, the foundation of FUD dissemination. She also stresses again and again how parents are unable to help their children with these algorithms. Does this mean that if we learned something that was inefficient or inappropriate for our children, we are forced to teach it to them because it is what we learned?
One of the biggest issues that teachers in Wilmette 39 deal with are demands from parents that their children receive "differentiated" instruction. That is to say instruction that is tailored to their ability level. Everyday Math is ideally suited to assist the teachers in these demands. By presenting multiple algorithms, it allows the students to solve the problems in ways that are easiest for them to comprehend, rather than forcing a specific algorithm on the entire student body which may or may not be appropriate for all learners.
Unfortunately I do not have any experience with the other math system she was speaking of, so I can not refute anything there, however I will leave another comment with a pointer to a point by point refutation for Everyday Math when I have completed it.