Caroline4kids Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 http://ceure.buffalostate.edu/~csmp/CSMP%20Program/index.html I haven't quite got my head around it yet and was wondering if this has ever been discussed here before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 I ran across this in the past week and meant to post as well. I'm curious if some of the people using MEP can take a look. It looks pretty similar from what I've heard. It appears that the same authors did a program for higher-ed (middle school math) that I used in middle school. They seem to be Imacs now. If it is the same authors, this would be a very solid, very good program - but it may require a good bit of teacher knowledge. I'm very interested to hear from people using MEP. :bigear: (SpyCar?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 (edited) I haven't worked very much with MEP, just a little. CSMP does not resemble MEP to me, but I readily yield to knowledgeable posters. You could run your own search on the CSMP program, as I'm providing just a small number of links. To me, it appears to be "just another failure of a math program"; however, I quickly acknowledge how subjective are opinions about math textbooks ! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comprehensive_School_Mathematics_Program http://sitzblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/csmp.html (This blogger clearly dislikes the program.) http://lists.rite.ed.qut.edu.au/pipermail/oz-gifted/2004-May/001254.html The list-poster in this five-year-old message used to teach CSMP. He liked it. From what I can figure out quickly, I wonder whether CSMP appears to have been one of those programs which teach "problem solving" and "figure it out via experimentation", at the death-knell expense of acquiring solid computational skills. Possibly something like the extremist version of "whole language" warring against the "traditional, old-school phonics" approaches to reading and spelling. Antonia P.S. Something that I read -- in the WIKI article ? -- warned that a teacher using CSMP needs to undergo special training in order to use the program effectively. Edited May 3, 2009 by Orthodox6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 I haven't worked very much with MEP, just a little. CSMP does not resemble MEP to me, but I readily yield to knowledgeable posters. I was curious about similarities, mainly due to Bill's mini-computer in his current sig. I used the CSMP Elements of Mathematics in middle school in a special program back in the 80s. It was an excellent program and I really liked the solid background in math I had. Some of the math I learned in 8th grade, I saw again in my third and fourth years of my bachelor's degree in math. (Ring, group, field theory in particular.) I'd never seen the earlier level materials before searching for the Elements of Math materials. I think I'll still stick with Singapore for my son for the elementary grades. But I am really considering Imacs for logic in middle school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shehmeth Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Hi, I've never heard of this program - but thanks for the Link - I was looking at the different files, I liked the little Short Books (stories) related to numbers - they're colorful and use math language and/or numbers and they are arranged by both Age and Grade.... Thanks for the Link.. ;-) Kate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forty-two Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Thanks for the link! I've been poking around the site for the past hour, and it looks very interesting. The problem books look like great fun - I love the arrow thing - and now I'm going have to figure out how the minicomputers work. I would have *loved* this as a kid (and as an adult, apparently :D). It even has math storybooks! I am dl'ing them as I type :tongue_smilie:. An entirely different animal than MEP, though they share similar goals (an emphasis on problem solving and truly understanding math). MEP is based on how the Hungarians teach math. CSMP is entirely homegrown - it grew out of "New Math" of the 60s and 70s. Adrian and Myrtle converted me to wonders of New Math - I have all the books they recommend for high school, ready to go (even though, as you can see from my siggy, my oldest is not quite three :tongue_smilie:) - and so that endears CSMP to me already. I don't doubt it takes a lot of teacher knowledge to do it right, though - New Math was notorious for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 We've been playing around with CSMP a little. Very precursory exposure thus far, but it has very intriguing aspects that are quite different than MEP, but share the "out of the box" ways of looking at numbers and number relationships that intrigues me and has stimulated interest in my little man (who will be 5 in July). There is *if memory serves* a 400-plus teachers guide to Year One (gulp) and I've not yet taken on. There are some interesting, if somewhat "cheesy" films on the CSMSP website, and the workbook exercise are comprehensible and fun. As Dana said my current sig is inspired by a Mini-computer used in the CSMP course. There is a separate book on the site on how the use the Mini-computer. I can't give much of an "evaluation" at this point, other than to say it's another highly interesting and distinctly different way of teaching math and will likely interest people who (like me) are completely nuts :tongue_smilie: Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 PLEASE someone explain the mini computer thing to me. I read a little about it, but I don't get it and I don't get what it does/teaches. The "values" of the sub-squares [my term] are color coded (and match Cuisenaire Rods) Brown 8, Purple 4, Red 2, and White 1. If a sub-square has a "checker" it counts toward the value of the total square. Each square represents a "place value" read in the standard fashion from left to right. So what's my sig saying? No one has "gotten it" yet. Except my not yet 5 year-old:tongue_smilie: Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forty-two Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 So what's my sig saying? No one has "gotten it" yet.97 > 79, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 97 > 79, right? Bingo :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy2BeautifulGirls Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 97 > 79, right? I arrived at the same answer before I scrolled down and saw your post. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Well then my original answer to you wasn't so outrageous. I just didn't know the value of the colors. I was kind of on the right track. But this doesn't "speak" to me for some reason. Right. Here, me and the little man "speak" C. Rod language. If I told him to get "Yellow" number of some item, I know he'd return with "five". It's just an ingrained code after working with C. Rods and Miquon when he was little®. It's not a big deal, and the Mini-computer seems like it's just one small component of the CSMP program. Just a different way to add and calculate. I like "different" because he seems to like "different", and the beginning exercises in the First grade level have been fun. They don't include Mini-computer work yet. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 I arrived at the same answer before I scrolled down and saw your post. :D Then you get a "gold star" too. Well done! :D Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Duh. Ok the whole place value clicked for me just now. The entire square is a place value (not the sub squares). I was thinking each small square represented a place value..so then I wondered how someone could come up with 97 (I was thinking WAY too hard about this). Congratulations, you are now ready for First Grade math :D Bill :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forty-two Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Duh. Ok the whole place value clicked for me just now. The entire square is a place value (not the sub squares). I was thinking each small square represented a place value..so then I wondered how someone could come up with 97 (I was thinking WAY too hard about this). Technically, each subsquare *is* a place value...just in binary:tongue_smilie:. (And yes, these minicomputers speak to me - I've been geeking out over it all afternoon :D.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Technically, each subsquare *is* a place value...just in binary:tongue_smilie:. (And yes, these minicomputers speak to me - I've been geeking out over it all afternoon :D.) Did you download the "Mini-computer" book? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy2BeautifulGirls Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Then you get a "gold star" too. Well done! :D Bill Thanks! And I thought I wasn't good at math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forty-two Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Did you download the "Mini-computer" book? I've dl'ed it, but not yet read it. Looking forward to it, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Thanks! And I thought I wasn't good at math. Don't believe it. You have great promise :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 So what's this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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