Teachers in Arlington Heights District 25 grade schools like a new math program developed at the University of Chicago, but some parents say it has a flaw–that it doesn’t teach kids to add, subtract, multiply or divide.
The math program encourages children to use math in everyday activities such as buying food or measuring flour, teachers say.
This is the first year of the program for 4th and 5th graders, and the second year for 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders.
Although parents don’t argue with the idea of applying math to everyday life, some don’t think children are being taught the basics of arithmetic well enough to solve these everyday problems. As a result, they say children are relying heavily on calculators.
Parents voiced their concern about the program at a recent school district meeting.
“They’re teaching the conceptual side before the children memorize the math facts. There are advantages to this for the really bright kids who can understand the concept, but for the average kids they don’t have a clue,” parent Vivian Menzies said.
Another parent, Tracy Singleton, said the program weakened her daughter’s math skills.
“Last year my child was very strong in math. But this year (as a 5th grader) she can’t do simple division. Instead of getting the basics down, she’s using the calculator. The kids are using the calculator as a crutch,” Singleton said.
“Many teachers aren’t giving the children enough time to master the basics,” she said.
Teachers assign extra drills to help kids learn arithmetic, said Maureen Hager, assistant superintendent for instruction and curriculum.
She said feedback from teacher conferences is showing overwhelming support for the math program.
Calculators, Hager said, play an essential role in education today. Just as kids are taught about computers, they learn the many functions of calculators.
The U. of C. math program prompts pupils to think mathematically and focuses heavily on problem solving, she said, giving children a true understanding of how numbers relate to one another.
The intent, in many cases, is not just to solve the math problem, but to think about ways to solve the problem.
For instance, a child might be asked if $3,200 would be enough money to buy 69 items priced at $99 each. Number sense would tell the student that he only could afford to buy almost half of the items.
Or, she said, a child might be asked to estimate the volume of her room and decide whether a 2-ton elephant could fit in there. The child might use her foot as a unit of measurement to solve the problem.
Nevertheless, Hager said, teachers will assign even more drills next year that aren’t included in the U. of C. math program.
