Reply to Do kids need to understand "borrow and pay back" subtraction (vs regrouping)?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]If they understand one way, have them do it that way. This idea that we have to teach a million ways to do the same thing is ridiculous. If your child is presented with a subtraction problems and can repeatedly successfully solve them, it is good.  My child also gets confused with multiple strategies.

The only challenge is that without textbooks, I have a hard time assisting my child with the language and methods they are being taught. I was raised on borrowing and carrying, so when I try to explain it that way, we get nowhere.[/quote]

A million ways is the way to true number literacy. Which is the important part and not being able to do just one kind of problem one way. The way many of us were taught were very limiting. It was procedural and not drilling down to true math understanding. The current way is actually better but harder in the beginning. It leads to better number understanding. It's also the way people were taught a couple generations back and in other countries. [/quote]

I guarantee you in Asia no one is learning the borrow and pay back method (ex. 72-29 = 7 tens 12 ones minus 3 tens 9 ones/ this is not the standard subtraction algorithm of 6 tens 12 ones minus 2 tens 9 ones.)

This is why math instruction is so awful in this country. There is no added conceptual benefit of learning this method. OP your child doesn't have to learn it and I would discourage my child from using it. I would be really annoyed if they were taught this method. [/quote]

They absolutely teach multiple strategies such as this in Asia. Research points to understanding these strategies contributes to strong numeracy. “Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics: Teachers' Understandng Fundamental Mathematics in China and the United States“ focuses on the some of these differences, if you’re interested in actually learning about mathematics education instead of flinging inaccuracies into the void. [/quote]

I actually read Liping Ma's book. She cautions against using the term "borrowing". OP's question is whether his child should learn the borrow and pay back method. It doesn't lead to any conceptual understanding of composing and decomposing numbers. There are so many other ways of solving a problem like 72-29 that actually do lead to understanding. Teaching many random ways to solve problems doesn't make for good instructions. It should be well thought out. In China where Ma studied, math teachers teach elementary math. It would help immensely if schools would actually use textbooks and workbooks like in all Asian countries. Parents could see examples of how students are learning to compose and decompose numbers. To make sure my kids learned math well I bought them textbooks and workbooks AND I bought the teacher's guides for Marshall Cavendish Singapore math.

Anyone reading this who wants textbooks and workbooks and teacher's guides go to https://www.singaporemath.com and they have different versions of math textbooks. The newest series is called dimensions math. Here is a link to samples:
https://www.singaporemath.com/math-samples/dimensions-math-pk-8-samples/[/quote]

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