Carl Bogardus writes:
-> CB>I think they don't memorize them because its almost too late. The
-> CB>addition  and subtraction should be mastered in 1st and 2nd, the
-> CB>times table in the  third.  In England, facts are mastered a whole
-> CB>year ahead of the US as Kinder  is for 4yr olds and 5yr olds are
-> in CB>first.
And Dan Triplett replies:
-> I wonder if we don't move some kids along too fast, going on to the
-> next concept before the previous concepts are mastered.  Some kids
-> are always playing catch up and it is a very frustrating game.  Your
-> comments on England interest me and if I have an opportunity I'd
-> explore them further.  I'm not sure what "facts" you are referring to
-> when you speak of kindergarten math and 4 and 5 year old children.
Commenting on what Carl said, re: it being almost too late for older
kids to learn their basic facts:
I have heard before, from both teachers, students, and parents,
complaints of certain topics in math not being taught for mastery. The
teacher, maybe in fifth grade, say, teaches operations with fractions.
But, she knows that the kids will be re-taught the same lessons again in
sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. So, when one of the students (or
more) is not mastering the operations, she consoles the student (and
parents?) saying, "It's ok if he doesn't learn it this year. They will
do this again next year." But, what does a kid gain from this situation?
Basically in fifth grade he learns that he doesn't understand fractions,
he feels frustration and probably fears that this is a complicated topic
that he is likely to experience difficulty with forever, and then he
sees it again in sixth grade. What attitudes and expectations is he
bringing with him to the sixth grade math classroom with regard to
fractions? I'd bet he has an instant disadvantage for having been
exposed to them unsuccessfully the previous year.
To get back on track with the question about the basic math facts,
suppose a student has made it all the way to fourth or fifth grade
without learning these facts, having seen them presented every year in
school up to then. What must such a student think of math? For their
whole school life they've been exposed to these dull and boring basic
facts. The kid probably thinks that this IS mathematics! (poor child) If
I were in that situation, I'd probably hate math and think that I
could never learn these facts. After all, I've spent 5 years of school
already trying to learn them and still haven't. No wonder Carl says it
is almost too late for these kids. Their attitude is probably so set
against even believing that they can learn these facts by this point
that it must be an incredible task to get them over this.
Seems to me that, just as students shouldn't leave third grade without
knowing how to read, and call in the RR teacher and other intervention
methods, kids shouldn't leave second grade without knowing their basic
addition and subtraction facts nor third without knowing multiplication.
Get intervention for these kids, what... a Math Facts Recovery
teacher?...and get them set up for success in math in fourth and fifth
grade instead of re-hashing basic material they should have already
learned.
As for going too fast in school...I don't know. Maybe in some things.
But seems to me that allowing until the end of second grade to learn
addition and subrtraction facts isn't going too fast. There should be
plenty of time in there for working with manipulatives and all other
things so that the kids can get that down by the end of second grade. I
think that to allow the kids longer than that does them a terrible
disservice and sets them up to do poorly in subsequent classes.
Sheila
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