Home : 2003 : February : 17
Spiral Math stinks!
By sue d.
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Truthfully, most teachers who need to prepare their students for the ISAT tests in IL HATE the Everyday Math program and its twin sister of stupidity, the Trailblazers Math program. Everyone I talk to sees their weakness: | students cannot master any concept because they have so little experience with it, they forget the terms and skills from year to year. Spiral math depends on teaching baby steps yearly, until a concept is finally mastered. The logic is wrong because, unfortunately, the skills are hidden in time wasting games, useless homework and workbook assignments, and goofy nicknames for math | |
terms. My kids were so confused by the silly terms for ones, tens, hundreds... in place value (bits, skinnies...), that several finally asked, "I can't remember all of those silly names. Why can't we just call them what they are?" I taught them because I had to, but you know what? I taught the traditional way too. I use old math texts and my own units from another state (thank God that other state didn't adopt this foolish program) for computation and basic problem solving. I teach all of the Trailblazers lessons too, but as SUPPLEMENTS.
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