Critical Thinking Trumps Speed Drills

As an elementary teacher I despised speed drills when it came to multiplication (or any) math facts. Sure, you need to learn them, some are harder than others but ultimately we do all get there. The anxiety these bring students and their parents is apparent and the message "I am bad at math" rises from the experience. While enduring this reality of school, do not lose focus on the vital critical thinking skills associated with math:

The U.S. does not need fast procedure executors anymore. We need people who are confident with mathematics, who can develop mathematical models and predictions, and who can justify, reason, communicate, and problem solve. We need a broad and diverse range of people who are powerful mathematical thinkers and who have not been held back by stereotypical thinking and teaching.

Encourage your students to Show What They Know. Have them communicate mathematically by:

• Using math vocabulary accurately (The shape is congruent, rather than it is the same.)
• Prove reasonableness (2.2 x 4.1 = ?  Well, I know 2 x 4 = 8, therefore my answer should be higher than 8 since 2.2 is slightly more than 2 and 4.1 is slightly more than 4. Anywhere between 8-10 would be reasonable.)
• Justifying their answer: Half of ____ = 3.5.  The rule of half is to equal parts, so if one part is 3.5 then the other has to be 3.5. 3.5 and 3.5 make 7 since I combine the 1/2s to make 1 whole and the two 3s to make 6. 1+6=7.

It is or this reason that kids aren't sitting in school doing flash cards in the corner like I did a million years ago.  Fact practice is necessary but typically takes place outside of school so problem solving is the focus with the teacher. The same goes with us at Mathnasium of 4S Ranch.  We work on strategies to make these facts come easier, but the heart of our program is making math make sense at setting kids up for further success in higher level courses.

Source:  http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/11/the-stereotypes-that-distort-how-americans-teach-and-learn-math/281303/2/
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