TERC 2nd Edition Math Homework

A private tutor shows the homework from another district's third grade class - long division by Houghton Mifflin. Sadly, her district's third grade uses TERC. And for 3rd grade, there is no long division.

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News & Politics

Tags:

• Ridgewood
• TERC
• TERC2
• reform
• math
• homework
• education
• 3rd
• grade

[nowthatshockey]

Anyone who has really SEEN TERC or Investigations in Number, Data, & Space material KNOWS it is woefully simplistic and years behind many math curriculums (Houghton Mifflin, Saxon, Singapore Math, etc..) that have moved beyond the reform math movement and meet international standards.

[sleeper2345]

So the 4th grade unit in TERC that teaching the use of a finite geometry is "years behind" other curricula? Also, the introduction of negative numbers in 3rd grade is "years behind" curricula that typically introduce these ideas in 7th or 8th grade.

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My suggestion is that you actually look at these curricula prior to commenting. Your overgeneralization and oversimplication leads to misleading statements.

[nowthatshockey]

I have looked in detail at these curricula. And the fact that TERC "presents" material does not mean it is beyond other curricula. TERC "introduces negative numbers" does not mean TERC allows for and is conducive to teaching the concept and working with negative numbers to mastery.

And that is the point. Having a child shade in a box to show fractions doesn't mean the child now knows the mathematical concept of a fraction.

[sleeper2345]

Yes, now that I've refuted your argument, move to a red herring strategy, changing the argument. However, this argument too is faulty. Traditional textbooks repeat the same content year after year. Thus, they don't focus on mastery either. Ask any adult to create a real world situation that involves division of fractions. More than 80% cannot. This is master?

What, by the way, is the mathematical concept of a fraction? I'd really like your definition here.

[nowthatshockey]

@sleeper2345 I stand by my point that just because TERC "introduces" a fraction by drawing pictures does not make it in the same realm as other curricula and does not make it "years ahead". Again, I have looked in depth at these curricula. I can readily see for my audience that TERC is not the curricula of choice for me. By the way, using your own approach, wouldn't your early elementary TERC material give you your desired answer to the question "what is the mathematic concept of a fraction?"

[ancalagonyt]

I don't know about TERC specifically, but the arguments in the video are pretty bad. Why should kids be learning the procedure for multidigit long division by rote? We have calculators and computers that can do that for us.

The TERC homework problem that was quoted in the video required actual mathematical understanding to solve and could potentially come up in the real world. The other homework was a tedious drill, requiring no understanding, only memorization.

[samten10a]

Student should KNOW (master) your math tables to 20 that is addition subtraction mutilation division. Only after the student master the math tables. Should the student move on to, Fraction and decimals throw in all math symbols definitions before the students need them.

Why only after mastering math tables. That way the answer that is wrong is not going to simple 1+1=2. It will be correct procedure to do the equation

The students should know them by the time they are in first grade

[JolieDawson]

i learned this in grade school all up until fifth grade, and i was good at it....now im about to start high school, and im getting straight d's in math >:(

[AnonymousElektron]

People, the future engineers of America.

Just write an essay about your feelings about long division.

There are no wrong answers.

I'm sure we'll be able to design bridges and spaceships with that!

But no, seriously, our kids are being cheated by corrupt teachers, and textbook publishers.

[sleeper2345]

Unfortunately, the author of this video appears to have little understanding of the fundamental mathematical ideas that support the learning of division. It's too bad that structuralist perspective of focusing on the mathematics content rather than how learners are impacted is the perspective offered by the author.

[thirakwa]

@cingy923 No child in the 3rd grade should be writing sentences. They are not at the developmental point of truly understanding the grammar involved in forming a sentence.

[sleeper2345]

My comment was that most adults do not recognize situations that involve division of fractions. Even teachers who have taught mathematics for many years do not. I

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I'm not sure what you mean by "mastery." You will need to say more about what you mean by this. However, I think you agree with me that we want students to have a deep understanding of fractions, including their meaning, procedures, and when to apply this. This is in opposition to what traditional US instruction generates.

[thirakwa]

I only stumbled onto this video accidentally, and I have no beef in this debate. What got me to reply is your point about "real-world" situations not having to deal with division of fractions. Sure, you're unlikely to need that skill in the grocery store. But is that all we should be aiming for our children? What about giving them skills that will last them all the way in their journey to Mars and beyond? Any advanced science/engg. study will require mastery over manipulation of fractions.

[sleeper2345]

TERC actually helps students develop meaning for the numerator and denominator. However, most US adults would not recognize this as they are focused on formalisms over meaning. What meaning for numerator and denominator should be developed?

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Love how you avoided the answer to my question. Typical US adult, failing to define terms that you use. The reason that I ask if because there is no such thing as a "concept of a fraction." Fractions involve much more than a single concept.