Problem: It’s boring for the teachers:
One solution: Make fun zap the alien video games for kids to learn their times tables
(Now if you were really smart you could do it in a way that teaches a conceptual understanding as well as drilling them)
Problem: Some students will be better at it than others and it might hurt their (i presume the others?) self esteem
Hmm… but aren’t some kids going to get the new math better than others? Won’t that hurt the esteem of kids who can just memorise?
By the way, I do think the ability to memorise is a really important skill to teach. And with lower grade math, I’m really not worried that they won’t get the concept later. They’ll need it so often in life. I have a question: which cultures do the best mathematicians come from? I know that here in Asia in general we score much higher in math and science, but I’m curious about if this translates at the cutting edge of mathematics.
What are the math wars about… Memorisation vs. Understanding?
Can’t say too much about math, but with many different skill sets you need a certain prerequisite of vocab/basics to be able become creative. And in some cases there’s really not a lot of logic behind it and you just have to remember stuff. Why is dog “chien”? Why does 1 + 1 = 2 ?
The thing is, how does one build on this foundation so that intelligence becomes flexible, rather than mechanical? And I think in this case it’s just a matter of the teacher having fun, and modeling that inquiry process.