Always Pick the Toolbox

Kids need time and space to build a toolbox of math skills. They build it in their own as they acquire new concepts, improve their number sense, enhance their problem solving.

In the effort to get the toolbox filled, it is easy to resort to math tricks. They may get you through a challenging night of homework faster, but they don’t set the course for when the skills come into play down the road. Kids need to understand why things work the way they do so they can apply their prerequisite knowledge to higher level courses.

So next time you find yourself pulling out fingers to multiply nines or using the butterfly method to see which fraction is biggest, don’t. ;-) The investment of one rough night will pay itself off down the road.

To see more, visit: https://hechingerreport.org/common-core-math-experts-say-teachers-need-stop-using-shortcuts-math-tricks/