Everyday Mathematics: The Lattice Method

As part of the Everyday Math curriculum, a program that stresses solution strategy and comprehension and promotes individualized rate of development, fourth grade students at Leighton Elementary school in Oswego, New York practice a variety of different methods to develop their math skills including games, real life application and alternative algorithims such as the Lattice Method. Visit http://www.syracuse.com for more news and multimedia.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Everyday
• Mathematics
• Leighton
• Elementary
• Oswego
• New
• York
• math
• skills
• alternative
• algorithims
• post-standard

[jtalarizadeh]

I'm going to list some times from the clip. 2:36, 2:42, 2:56, 2:59, 3:10, 3:16, 3:22. What do these have in common? They all show students doing math, that's right. Also, they're using calculators in every one of these scenes. YOU'RE BUILDING A CALCULATOR DEPENDENCY INTO EACH OF THESE KIDS BY USING THIS APPROACH.

[Flexpicker]

This is absolutely ridiculous. I teach engineering at a university and have seen a huge degradation in math skills in recent years. For example, we use binary and hexadecimal based math systems, and the students don't get it because they don't understand that a column represents the base number raised to a power. This method doesn't even use columns per se!

[FateJHedgehog]

@literacydude But there really aren't "many ways to add subtract multiply and divide." Even the demonstrated method is doing roughly the same thing as standard column-based multiplication, just with an extra layer upon which nothing is gained and orderly number stacking is discarded. It even is forced to use carriage rules in the same way.

Does the student come to understand why the lattice works?

[FateJHedgehog]

I've already seen Everyday math. I'm more fascinated by the way that first kid learned to write a 4.

[annglamgal]

I have heard the publisher discontinued use of the Lattice Method. I FRICKING HOPE SO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[amandaleggett]

This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen in my life. I don't even have words...

[puppyloverforever1]

@jtalarizadeh

ummm you know they're play a game right?

[MADLmaan]

"multiplication strategies" my ass.

this curriculum is digging these kids' graves if they ever wish to pursue a future not only in mathematics, but in the sciences and finance as well. You need to be taught to walk before you can run. If the whole world had different strategies to walk, then we'd get a group of kids waddling, a group of kids on their toes jogging, and another group of kids doing the duck walk. You can't run with those. This is just plain stupid.

[jfwatkins]

Wow, what gibberish: "strategies" for multiplication. My kid's going to Kumon. And yes, I have several math degrees.

[nda340]

@jtalarizadeh And the reason for why this math curriculum pushes calculators heavily is because the algorithms they use are too damned complicated to be useful.