Monday, May 20, 2013

Real-life math or fundamentals?

Here is an interesting link to something that ties in to the other link that I posted last week.  This article discusses how math classes these days are focusing so much on real-life math, but at the expense of getting students to really understand what it is that they are learning.

There are pros and cons to each side.  On the one hand, real-life situations help most students to get a better understanding of what they're learning.  As soon as they're able to relate it back to something that they are familiar with, they are more likely to understand and remember it better.  But on the other hand, how MUCH time are we spending working on this real-life math?  Should we go back to the basics and make sure that they know how to add, subtract, multiply and divide?

It's definitely a hot debate, especially in connection to the article I posted last week (which can be found here).  What do you all think?  What should we focus our time on?  Fundamentals, or application?

3 comments:

  1. we have to find a balance...no way you can continue to move on to things without knowing the basics. The real life math is essential, we've both tutored students that say " why we do need this" and then you talk about going to the store and tell them they have been getting ripped off for years because they can't add and subtract - money is the motivator I find to connect...

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  2. I agree with Michael. We need to find balance. I know we should be doing both, but logistically there just aren't enough minutes in a day to do all of the things we want to do.
    Maybe we should be encouraging the practice of fundamental math skills at home like we do with reading. I'm sure parents would have something to say about finding time at night to complete the reading log AND the math practice. How else can we fit it all in?

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  3. I don't think there is anything wrong with sending work home. For some reason, I feel like students have gotten away from having homework. But it's almost like practice makes perfect. Yes, there are going to be students who understand every concept, because the reality is they are just very smart individuals. But for those in-betweeners, we need to give them a way to solidify what they've learned in school. Math practice (and reading and writing) seems to be the best way to do that.

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