The unintended consequences of the TERC Investigations Math Curriculum

A 3rd grade student explains how to solve a "hard" addition problem using the TERC/Investigations method she learned in school.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• TERC Investigations
• TERC
• Investigations
• Math
• New Math
• Reform Math

[cbyerley]

This video shows me that the student missed the point of learning with manipulates-that they help provide meaning for the standard algorithms. Kids can do algorithms and have no idea what they mean(like the girl in this video). They can't do science if they have no meanings for the operation they learn. The commentators on this video display their lack of understanding of research in math education.

[mathfoundationsllc]

@cbyerley I don't generally respond to comments, but had to respond to yours. My PhD is in a field of math education so, I take issue with your comment about a "lack of understanding". The point of the video is that Investigations' use of "conceptual" methods in place of algorithms leads students to believe that larger numbers equal harder problems. All Investigations has managed to do is "proceduralize" the conceptual, resulting in extremely inefficient strategies to solve problems.

[dannidandannikins]

Notice how if the kid had written an M instead of a cube, a C instead of a sheet, an X instead of a line and a short line instead of a dot then she would have been doing mathematics in roman numerals. There's a reason we don't use roman numerals anymore: it's because they're rubbish next to the arabic numerals.

Like most 'progressive' suggestions this is actually *regressive* - it is taking children away from using concepts (denoted by arabic numbers) back to using percepts (pictures).

Very sad.

[Beethovens7th]

Poor girl. Her teachers are actually Comprachicos.

[WHITEMANDINGO]

oops, couldn't*...

[WHITEMANDINGO]

This method also can't be integrated with any field or discipline which actually applies math. Not chemistry, not physics, not engineering, not architecture. And the "every day" math appellation is bogus: you could even add a restaurant bill with this nonsense.

[WHITEMANDINGO]

I was taught Piaget's version of this drivel in the mid seventies. I was essentially a math illiterate as a result. I avoided math in college, aside from a statistics class, which satisfied math requirement . Before the course, I just read some old fashioned math text, that were clear and precise, aced the course, and scored north of 700 on the math section of the GRE.

This crap is criminal.

[RevJoeyG]

I can't even watch this because of how bad I feel for this kid. To know how easy this problem is to solve but because some Rocket Scientist signed off on this insanity she is stuck. And they wonder why our kids drop out and are uninterested in school...WAKE UP!!!!

[RevJoeyG]

This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen. It is hard enough to get kids interested in math much less fry their brains with dribble like this. At no time in this childs life, now or in her future will she ever have to solve this problem like this,so what is the point now? If I were in this school district I would scream bloody murder to have it eliminated. Is this what the educational system is coming down too? Teaching kids things that are absolutly useless, unreal!!

[ancalagonyt]

The system she showed is actually very good to help conceptual understanding. It obviously shouldn't be used to solve problems with big numbers, but it would be great to show what the conventional methods are actually doing.

[infoscooladspn]

@infoscooladspn : Of course dimensions with ab S is much better...