Math Curriculum / Calculators
I stumbled across this post today [via Joanne Jacobs] on how widespread early calculator use affects later academic performance. [Hint: it’s not good.] My post-partum memory is fuzzy, but I seem to recall not using calculators regularly until my college statistics class. In fact, I still have my trusty TI-36X from that class and still use it. [I’ve since sold the TI-81 that I used in calculus.] I always enjoyed calculating in my head — I remember working at San Francisco Street Bakery in college, and I’d keep running tabs for folks as they picked out their items and would announce their total to them before I even got to the cash register. Cheap fun. Heh.
I’ve been reviewing different math curricula lately — there’s a fairly wide variety of approaches out there, but my gut tells me that tried-and-true like Saxon or Singapore Math is what most effectively teaches math competence. [The girls who babysit for us — and who are homeschooled — use Saxon.] One thing I like about them is that they discourage calculator use.
jen said,
July 26, 2006 @ 8:29 pm
Hi there! I am not sure how I ended up here, but I noticed that your gut tells you to stick with Saxon or Singapore Math. I have a math degree and have taught mathematics from preschool through masters-level in a variety of settings: personal tutoring, small-group, public classroom, a department-full of college profs., etc. Saxon is very popular because it is easy to use and produces students who do very well on standardized tests. However, most of these same students do not understand math. Most often they recognize the question and follow the programed steps with no depth of understanding. Change the problem style and they are lost. That said, I have seen it used successfully in the elementary years when the focus is on basics, but DO NOT USE SAXON after 65. I can not tell you how many students I have been hired to teach who did fine in math until they hit 76. It is too fragmented and superficial for higher level mathematics. If you like the spiral approach that Saxon uses, go with Horizons math. It also incorporates hands-on learning and analytical reason (this part is key). Singapore Math is a solid program, though some find it difficult to use. I recommend getting the teacher manuals. If a non-trad. approach doesn’t bother you, Shiller Math is awesome. It is a fully hands-on program that is lots of fun, very easy to use, and is far more thorough in scope than most programs. Anyone who completes this program will have a deep understanding of mathematics. Its only weakness is the lack of “normal” test questions. I combine Singapore and Shiller with my own children. They love it, and often ask, “Mama, can we do math?”