Reply to Would the use of Everyday math turn you off?

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[quote=SAM2][quote=Anonymous]I think you must be a EDM troll, paid to make positive remarks.  I have found more negative information regarding this program than any other educational program in history. [/quote]
I'm not the person you're quoting, but I think it's ridiculous to think there's conclusive and incontrovertible evidence condemning EDM.  I've seen lots of studies and other objective proof that suggest EDM can be a strong and effective curriculum.  Of course, people who dislike EDM say those studies are biased, and that the positive student gains are attributable to something other than the EDM curriculum.  And conversely, the supporters of reform mathematics methods like EDM use the exact same arguments when they criticize traditional math curriculum approaches.

In the end, it seems to me that some students -- and some teachers -- will do better with one approach versus the other.  All the different curriculum approaches have their merits, and their weaknesses.  If a school has good math teachers, it seems the most effective strategy would be to allow the teachers to mix-and-match whatever approaches they can teach best, and individualize those strategies on-the-fly to match what each student needs.  But I recognize my "best practices" suggestion is naive, since not all math teachers have the trust of their administrators, and not all schools (particularly public school districts) can be so easily flexible with their curriculum.

Nevertheless, to me, saying that the math curriculum your school uses is the root problem of the school's math woes seems similar to pinning all your complaints to a teacher that lets students use pencils rather than pens.

Also, as an aside, after reading about the fierce competition among textbook publishers, and the serious money they pump into lobbying efforts to have their curriculum products adopted by school districts, I mistrust most of the supposedly non-partisan groups that advocate one direction or the other on these topics.

FWIW, that's my 2 cents.[/quote]

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