Reply to WTH 3rd grade math!?!?

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Reply to "WTH 3rd grade math!?!?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]New poster here. What PP was saying is that there's no ONE right answer. Many solutions to the same problem. Kids are meant to explore all the possible solutions.

2+2=4

but also ...

2+2=6-2
2+2=0+2
2+2=-4+8

By exploring them all rather than just looking for one right solution, kids learn more. [/quote]

Ok, then that's a terribly designed question.  The question should have been "how many ways can you think of to divide this square into 4 equal parts?  Draw your solutions."  Instead they have given a question that is essentially testing whether the child can comprehend and regurgitate jargon that is likely based on alignment to wording in some standard in the common core.  That is not a useful skill.  Exploring many ways to complete a given task or thinking of alternate solutions to a problem are useful skills.  This is my problem with lots of the worksheets my DC brings home.  The theoretical concept is sound.  The execution of testing or getting the child to practice the concept is absolutely terrible.  That's not a problem on the teaching end, it's a problem with the publishers.  [/quote]

I'm the PP you're responding to.  I completely agree with almost everything you wrote: terribly designed question, a stupid test of jargon rather than math skill, a common problem, etc.

My only quibble is with your last sentence: I don't know who designed the question, so I'm unwilling to lay blame so quickly.  IMHO, if the teacher designed the question, then she/he needs to learn to communicate more clearly. If the publisher designed the question, then BOTH are at fault: the publisher should have designed a better question, and the teacher should have fixed the poor wording before distributing to students, or at least explained what the publisher was trying to ask.[/quote]

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