Samuel Blumenfeld's How to Tutor "New Math has smothered arithmetic"

[Pen]

Has anyone used the math in How to Tutor? What do you think of the author's warnings that "New Math has smothered arithmetic".I was in school in the New Math era, and agree that arithmetic suffered greatly. The current wide and conceptual math curriculums are pretty much the same as the old "New Math" right? No. Whether they too will turn out to have difficulties, I don't know. But not the same.

 

"New Math" was designed to produce more scientists for the cold war, and there is the same goal to produce more scientists now due to global competition? Am I oversimplifying this or just wrong? Sounds right.

 

The author says that arithmetic is the "tool of economic man" and "practical everyday living" and that mathematics is more closely allied with the sciences and philosophy. He says that arithmetic is best taught in isolation and "in a very orderly way" with memorization before understanding. I agree that teaching it in a very orderly way makes sense. Disagree with the idea of in isolation (if that means away from applications or concrete objects etc.) or, in most cases, disagree with memorizing before understanding.

 

There are lots of charts that are to be used for copywork. Emphasis is on seeing the patterns in arithmetic. "Unit-grouping exercises" to "strengthen the child's understanding" of the "position in sequence or relationship to other combinations" is emphasized.Sounds like educatoreze gobbledygook. I don't understand what the heck that all means.

 

The author, Samuel Blumenfeld, says that arithmetic "is one of the most useful tools a child can learn to master" and "is vital to an individual's economic survival and success" and "should be given top priority". "Once the child has mastered the arithmetic system, he'll be in a much better position to deal with the often confusing theories and concepts of New Math." I generally agree with that. New Math as I experienced it now seems to have its concepts and ideas as part of the "logic" learning type materials--logic puzzles, Venn diagrams, philosophical statements about the world in mathematical terms etc. It does not necessarily need arithmetic first. But that order might be sensible.

 

I learn well from charts, so this curriculum appeals to me. With no printer the copywork and flashcard emphasis is very doable.

 

Is there anything wrong with STARTING with a narrow focus on arithmetic for below average students that are not going to compete for STEM jobs? What about average and above average students?

I think many students, at all levels, may learn better if concepts are part of the learning. In fact, I cannot imagine trying to learn arithmetic as memorization without concepts, and that makes it hard for me to see how someone who is average or below average would be able to do so. Had I been asked to learn by memorization first without concepts, I think I would have appeared stupid and tested very low, instead of testing in upper 99th percentile. OTOH, I think that having not emphasized some regular nuts and bolts arithmetic -- including memorization work--back in my day was a serious defect of math education at that time.

 

[NilaGroveSchool]

:iagree: the fun part of math is not the memorization (with conceptual knowledge) of math facts or arithmetic or what ever you want to call it.

[lorisuewho]

I picked up the book today at the library! Now maybe I can add more than just my own thinking out loud to this discussion! Can't wait to read it!

[Hunter]

I picked up the book today at the library! Now maybe I can add more than just my own thinking out loud to this discussion! Can't wait to read it!

 

:hurray:

 

Regentrude, I REALLY wish you'd read the book! I'm slaughtering it all, because I don't know what I'm talking about. I know just enough to be annoying, but that's about it. :lol:

 

No matter whether people agree or not, I think this is an important book. And the people who are the most against it, I'd love to hear more from them if they read the book, and could quote it and explain things to me, that maybe I am misunderstanding or being mislead by.

 

I also think it's important to read this book in CONTEXT of it being first used with students who had miserably failed at New Math, and were in serious need of a SPECIFIC type of remediation. Our current situation is different and therefore we need to APPLY this book, if there IS anything valuable enough to apply, which I really think there is.

 

I'll write later about a recent experience with a student, but I'm being asked to go teach this book right now, so... :leaving:

[lorisuewho]

I got the book at the library and read the the sections on teaching reading and handwriting. I actually thought the presentation was very solid. It isn't exactly what I have chosen to do, but I absolutely think it would work the way he presented the material. I didn't think there was anything controversial at all about it.

 

I loved the introduction pages on how and why to tutor.

 

I haven't read the math part yet!

[lorisuewho]

I finished reading the math section last night and it made a lot of sense to me. He definitely was not saying that understanding the base-10 system isn't important. I read it to say that don't get so lost in explaining the theory and the how's and why's that you fail to teach arithmetic itself. I'm glad I ordered the book used because when it arrives I'm going to underline and write all over it on my second read-through which I obviously couldn't do with a library book.

[Hunter]

I finished reading the math section last night and it made a lot of sense to me. He definitely was not saying that understanding the base-10 system isn't important. I read it to say that don't get so lost in explaining the theory and the how's and why's that you fail to teach arithmetic itself. I'm glad I ordered the book used because when it arrives I'm going to underline and write all over it on my second read-through which I obviously couldn't do with a library book.

 

Mine is such a mess. I told you. :lol:

 

It is becoming the map, I pencil in all the waldorf and Professor B and other hands-on and conceptual idea into.

 

If I wasn't doing cursive first, and trying to teach sentence composition within the 3rd day of phonics instruction, I might not like HTT so much. I am so tickled pink with the progress one of my students is making with this curriculum. It just fits her, and my teaching style. It's like the trellis that now supports all the ivy that was growing wild all over the ground. The trellis itself isn't so amazing, but it's a sight to behold with the ivy on it.

[lorisuewho]

Mine is such a mess. I told you. :lol:

 

It is becoming the map, I pencil in all the waldorf and Professor B and other hands-on and conceptual idea into.

 

If I wasn't doing cursive first, and trying to teach sentence composition within the 3rd day of phonics instruction, I might not like HTT so much. I am so tickled pink with the progress one of my students is making with this curriculum. It just fits her, and my teaching style. It's like the trellis that now supports all the ivy that was growing wild all over the ground. The trellis itself isn't so amazing, but it's a sight to behold with the ivy on it.

 

:001_wub: I love that this is working so well for you AND that you recommended this read to me.

[Hunter]

A student said to me this morning, "Too much copywork makes for sloppy work" but then smirked and happily dove right in, quoting some lines from a schoolroom scene in Elsie Dinsmore, as she copied :lol:

 

HTT has forced me to sit down and plan each lesson before teaching it. Because I have no blackboard, I create my own notebook page, that the student is expected to copy exactly. As I create my page, all potential glitches are taken care of BEFORE I start teaching the lesson, and the student can even count lines and measure where I have placed something, on my example.

 

I'm still trying to figure out where some of the co-dependant behaviors went, that stopped when we started this :001_huh: and what the KEY difference is here. I was so gung ho to find something to prep for Saxon, but now... I'm afraid to move away from anything too different from this.

 

We read so many books we don't "use". I just think this is a must read, even for people that don't "use" it. I'm so glad I was able to find an affordable hardcover edition instead of a paperback. I can see me in the future having it professionally rebound, if it cracks anymore.

 

It's just so funny, since I am teaching and planning all 3R's from it, it seems like it never leaves my hands for more than a couple hours at a time. I get attached to ANY item I use a lot, so it's only natural I'm getting overly attached to a curriculum. It's probably not that it's that good, but that it's mine :tongue_smilie:

[lorisuewho]

What is the age range of your students, Hunter? How many times a week and for how long each time do they come? Do you have more than one student at a time? It seems like you are doing so much! What a blessing you must be to them!

[Hunter]

What is the age range of your students, Hunter? How many times a week and for how long each time do they come? Do you have more than one student at a time? It seems like you are doing so much! What a blessing you must be to them!

 

I'll PM you, about that.

 

I just found a TON of articles by Blumenfeld.

 

http://www.home-school.com/Articles/columnists/sam-blumenfeld.php

[edeemarie]

 

I just found a TON of articles by Blumenfeld.

 

http://www.home-school.com/Articles/columnists/sam-blumenfeld.php

 

Those articles look really interesting! I found How to Tutor very cheap on Amazon and purchased it. I haven't had a chance to read it yet since I have some library books I need to read before they have to go back (Deconstructing Penguins, The Devils Know Latin). I love to read your post because you are always so full of great information and seem to be able to find resources that aren't going to cost me much:) I am in a teacher education frame of mind right now and am interested to learn all I can from all of these books!

[Hunter]

Those articles look really interesting! I found How to Tutor very cheap on Amazon and purchased it. I haven't had a chance to read it yet since I have some library books I need to read before they have to go back (Deconstructing Penguins, The Devils Know Latin). I love to read your post because you are always so full of great information and seem to be able to find resources that aren't going to cost me much:) I am in a teacher education frame of mind right now and am interested to learn all I can from all of these books!

 

The Devil Knows Latin is a good introduction to Climbing Parnassus. Remember if you read CP to start with part 2, if it seems overwhelming.

 

If you are looking for more low cost ideas, I'm rereading Rebecca Rupp books right now. Most libraries have them. She journals a lot about writing "books" and "home-made" workbooks for her boys.

 

I'm having a LOT of initial success with "translating" difficult texts into short simple sentences, and writing my own texts/worksheets. It's not taking any longer than endless searches for appropriate curriculum. I remediated my own handwriting with Spalding and am now fully comfortable creating handwritten materials, and even better it's the same hand the students are learning. I print what they are to read. And write in cursive what they are supposed to copy. It's so liberating to teach what I want. Preparing takes a bit of time, but teaching is arrow-through-the-bullseye efficient.

 

We are reading LOTS of library books. Bang, bang, bang, they fall into the "go back" pile. Math and other subjects. Some I read aloud. Others students are reading to themselves while I put finishing touches on a handwritten lesson.

 

Everything here is becoming almost exclusively copywork, handwritten texts, recitations, and library books. So little money spent, for so much learning.

 

OOP and cheap How to Write a Low-Cost/No-Cost Curriculum for Your Home-School Child. I like the math scope and sequence as well as the other subjects.

 

Rebecca Rupp Home Learning Year by Year also has a nice math scope and sequence with picture book suggestions for many of the math strands.

 

I'm finding these oldschool math scope and sequences from the back-to-basics years quite helpful right now.

 

I have a math chart I use for recitations and copywork, to supplement HTT. I'm going to try and scan it and put it up at Photobucket tomorrow.