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From: bks@alfa.berkeley.edu (Brad Sherman)
Newsgroups: comp.cog-eng
Subject: Elementary math without 4 basic algorithms
Message-ID: <1989Dec6.224935.1817@agate.berkeley.edu>
Date: 6 Dec 89 22:49:35 GMT
Sender: usenet@agate.berkeley.edu (USENET Administrator;;;;ZU44)
Reply-To: bks@alfa.berkeley.edu (Brad Sherman)
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Lines: 44

Copied [without permission] from letters section of
_NEW_SCIENTIST_, 25 November, 1989
| ...
| The project [Calculator Aware Number, CAN], was set up with the
| objective of trying to develop a number curriculum for
| primary mathematics which would take account of the new technology.
| Guidelines were issued to the schools taking part:
|	* to encourage the development of mental facility;
|	* to have a calculator always available in the
|	   classroom for free use by the children;
|	* and -- the most controversial -- no longer to
|	   teach the four basic standard arithmetical
|	   algorithms learned by most people hitherto.
| ...
| The children ... demonstrate an understanding of [negative
| numbers and decimals] which is superior to that of many
| secondary-school children.
| ...
| The children learn to recognise patterns created by number
| sequences of all kinds because because are able to generate
| them so much more quickly with a calculator; they also
| make attempts to generalise the patterns in "rules"
| for continuing them, a good prelude to later algebra.
| ...
| [And lots of other good reports.]
|	Janet Duffin, Numeracy Tutor, School of Mathematics, U. of Hull

At first, I thought WHAT, no addition, subtraction, multiplication
and derision? But, paper and pencil are homo-sapiens-made objects,
so why shouldn't they be replaced by an  alternate technology?  I spent
a lot of boring hours in primary school just cranking out answers to
arithmetic problems.

Anybody know anything more concrete about the results of this type of
experiment in primary math ed?  How do the kids do in estimation of
answers to problems?  

--
	-Brad Sherman (bks@alfa.berkeley.edu)
If sometimes I want to insert text and sometimes I want to overwrite text
and sometimes I want to mark text and sometimes I want to copy text and
sometimes I want to move text and sometimes I want to delete text, the
text editor had goddam better be modal or I'm going to trade it in
for one that is.