wondering about conceptual math

[leeannpal]

As a student in public school, I was generally terrible at math. As an adult, I've picked up some tricks that I think are conceptual and have been teaching them to my daughter who is in 3rd grade at a private school. What I'm not sure of is exactly what conceptual math is?

 

Yesterday, my daughter had a word problem that she was trying to do in the car mentally since she couldn't write well while we were moving. The essence of the problem was to subtract 9 from 24. I reminded her to add a one to the 9 to make 10 and then subtract 10 from 24 and add back the one. She was easily able to do this. Is this a form of conceptual math?

[letsplaymath]

conceptual math is when the student can explain why she's doing whatever she's doing. not just because it's the rule, but why it works. i'd say this was definitely conceptual math for you. if your daughter understood why it worked to add and subtract that way -- recognized the connection between what she was supposed to do in the problem and the trick you gave her to do it -- then it was conceptual math for her. if she just followed your rule, then not.

[EKS]

It is a technique used by conceptual math programs, but I wouldn't say that in and of itself it is conceptual math.

[HiddenJewel]

I would consider your example more mental math than conceptual teaching. Mental math is awesome too! I look at conceptual teaching as making sure the student understands how a formula works instead of just memorizing how to do it.