Reply to Teacher marking things wrong in math if they don't show work

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Pick a problem and you write down the steps as he is doing it.
Show him how it looks like with only steps and no final answer quite yet. Concentrate on 'writing down steps and explaining it' as the answer to the question. 
I really need an example, because right now it looks like it's 5+5, and no wonder he feels like there are no steps. Even here you have:
step 1: pick up 5 stones
step 2: pick up 5 more stones
step 3: put them all in one pile
step 4: count them all in that pile. See, I stopped at saying it's 10. We don't need 10, we need steps since he cannot do steps. He knows 10. We all know 10. Steps are annoying, but it is what it is.
[/quote]

Here's why your example is not good: Not only is it trivial as you said, but it kills a love of math. Math is not about mindless computation, it's about learning how to reason logically and precisely. Making a kid write the above is akin to killing his love or interest in math, or even learning! The kids are actually right, when they say "this is stupid". There is no reason to turn math class into writing workshop. Yes, stress the importance of showing work, but give a good problem that has multiple steps, and requires an explanation/work. The conclusion here is that the math questions being given in these AAP classes are fairly rote calculations; for many kids there is absolutely no reason why they should show their work if they feel it is a one step problem that can be done in their head.[/quote]

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