addition and subtraction

getmore4less

At what age are kids supposed to be able to do this in their heads

2 number multi digit subtraction

multi number, multi digit addition.

these two are fundimental skills of life

Mulitiplication to 10x table should be automatic (12 if still limperial)

Division a little harder for big numbers

DO they teach the art of estimation now we are in a calculator world?

Very important to make sure miss pressed digits have not happened.

eg scanning a bill and adding it up very quickly using matching and rounding. (and odd/even as has been pointed out)

The thing I don't get is why we call this basic arithmatic...... math.


Practice of the basics and rote is the way to do this basic stuff.

Should be continuous throughout the education years these are every day skills people need.

How are the kids of today going to be able to work out double the difference at tesco when they grow up if we don't teach the basics at school.

maire1

I teach Year 2. My class are 6-7. We are using a new maths programme called Maths Makes Sense. It was shown on Channel 4 on a programme called Kids Can't Count a while ago. Whilst we do use vertical methods, hey are explained in a completely different way to how I was taught as a kid. As a result,, they use an effective method AND understand the reasoning behind it!

Been teaching a while and seriously have never had results like those from this programme.

http://www.oup.com/oxed/primary/mms/

Sweet_Pea_2

My DD1 has always been in top set for Maths and is now in year 10 and predicted an A* for Maths GCSE. When she was at primary school we asked if she had been taught the column method of addition and subtraction or was going to be taught long division etc as OH and I were taught when we were at school. We were told that they were not going to be taught this, they would be taught lots of different methods and then allowed to go with what they found easiest but the column methods probably wouldn't be taught in any depth.

The reason we had asked was because she had bought some homework home to do and asked for help and OH and I had taught her the column method as we did not know which way she was supposed to be doing it. We were not sure if we had done the right thing by doing this but the teacher seemed unconcerned.

milliebear00001

getmore4less wrote: »

At what age are kids supposed to be able to do this in their heads

2 number multi digit subtraction

multi number, multi digit addition.

these two are fundimental skills of life

Mulitiplication to 10x table should be automatic (12 if still limperial)

Division a little harder for big numbers

DO they teach the art of estimation now we are in a calculator world?

Very important to make sure miss pressed digits have not happened.

eg scanning a bill and adding it up very quickly using matching and rounding. (and odd/even as has been pointed out)

The thing I don't get is why we call this basic arithmatic...... math.


Practice of the basics and rote is the way to do this basic stuff.

Should be continuous throughout the education years these are every day skills people need.

How are the kids of today going to be able to work out double the difference at tesco when they grow up if we don't teach the basics at school.

We teach all of those things in depth at primary school. All in Key Stage 2, so age 7-11. Hope that reassures you!

janome

Many thanks for all the interesting and informative replies. Gives me a wider perspective on it.

I do think the modern way of teaching maths/arithmetic is really great. I was terrified by numbers as a child. Possibly I had missed parts of the early years teaching and thereafter never got to grips with it. In my junior school we started the day during registration by finding on the blackboard 10 mental arithmetic questions. Quite ruined my day! I dreaded the first half hour of school, and by fear/inability in numbers was with me for ever. In fact I don't know why I was put in for O level as there was never any chance I would 'pass'. Think I got something like 2%.

However, in my forties I thought how pathetic. I am quite intelligent and thought I should certainly cope with basic maths, so I enrolled on a correspondence course with what was then the National Extension College and absolutely loved it. However that was a long time ago.

Back to my DGD, I have followed her maths progress through school and think the modern way of teaching number is great. So logical and obvious when you think about it. I wish it had been taught that way when I was young. We tended to be told a formula, a recipe, a method, and if we did it that way we would get the right answer. But sadly I didn't.

BTW DGD is in year 8, set 2 of 7, which in her school is second from the top. Her present maths teacher is not one of the better ones I'm afraid. No doubt brilliant at maths herself but not patient and perhaps less able to help and encourage children who are not innately numerically gifted. And she has never given them any homework despite it being scheduled on their timetable for once a week. In my opinion (old fashioned probably) practice and feedback are essential with maths.

And thanks to everyone for their input.

property.advert

Any fool who argues to rely on a calculator will have to convince me just how they calibrate and check a calculator is correct if they themselves cannot add up !

sumsup

To correct an earlier poster, "most" maths exams do NOT permit a calculator. At GCSE, only half the papers/marks will allow a calculator, at AS less than half, A level about half. (iGCSE is all calculator)

Even when using a calculator, it is essential to "Estimate, Calculate, Check", as it is so easy to press the wrong button and get an answer that is wrong by many orders of magnitude!

I am a maths tutor ( former teacher), and tell my students there is no right or wrong way - each one will have a method that they can most easily remember and use. I also mark GCSE's, and many candidates attempt the column method unsuccessfully, whereas they probably would get the correct answer with another method. They get embarrassed at using a "babyish" method, or one their parents do not use.

minimoneysaver

It's taught in year 4 in the school I work in.