Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!umd5!uvaarpa!mcnc!ecsvax!hes
From: hes@ecsvax.UUCP (Henry Schaffer)
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: Re: Learning arithmetic
Message-ID: <4643@ecsvax.UUCP>
Date: 22 Feb 88 14:43:46 GMT
References: <26@dogie.edu> <3340@killer.UUCP> <660@cresswell.quintus.UUCP> <8421@g.ms.uky.edu>
Organization: NC State Univ.
Lines: 36
Summary: what's wrong with boring?


and drills?

Seriously -  does anyone expect education to be completely free of boring
times?  Drill in arithmetic (to the point that whatever desired performance
level is achieved and retained) is going to be boring, at least some of the
time.  

There are valid differences of opinion on what arithmetic capability is
appropriate (I, myself, tend to value good calculation/estimation skills.)
but people who know better seem to have fallen into the  boring == bad
trap.  *I* think that they really mean that  (only boring) == bad
but that sure is another story.  Also, note that "boring" is not a
constant - it may depend on what else is going on outdoors!  (The same
arithmetic problem or drill sheet may be much more boring on a warm day
when one's companions are outside playing, than it is on a rainy day.)

(This is not meant to disparage any of the very good previous comments on
how to illustrate arithmetic and to motivate achievement in this area - I
think that any inquiring teacher will have learned from the discussion.)
Now let me make some comments which may be even more controversial.

It is good when the students learn the principles behind arithmetic - but
I will claim that it is even more important that they learn the arithmetic
itself.  This distinction is important when one is discussing students in
percentiles 60 or so and lower.  I think that this is one of the seldom
mentioned reasons why the New Math failed.  Students who did have the 
capability to learn arithmetic (well enough to make change, etc.) but who
didn't have the capability to do both that *and* learn place notation/base
seven/binary arithmetic - were spending all of their time trying to master
wierdo bases - and therefore coming out with *nothing* of value.  (I certainly
believe that students who can master both should master both - but here we
are discussing students who do not have the capabilities to master both, and
what they should do.)

--henry schaffer  n c state univ