From: Jo <jolynstanley@hotmail.com>
To: Teacher2Teacher Public Discussion
Date: 2001022619:49:27
Subject: Multiplication with your ten fingers

	I work with At-Risk students that have been taught to use their
fingers and dot math. When I ask them to reduce common fractions like
20/24 many do not know the factors and then cannot simplify. When I
ask 8th graders to add mentally 43 + 19 they want to add on their
fingers 3 + 9 or touch something 3 times, let along not knowing
another strategy for adding 19. I used to think chisanbop was a neat
idea along with other strategies to getting the immediate answers. The
problem becomes when the student becomes dependent on the strategy
which At-Risk students often do. I believe that should develop a good
sense of patterns and number sense, with a lot of concrete activities
that will lead to good recall of the basic facts and not hinder
further higher math computations.
Knowing the multiplication facts and the meaning of fractions would
help alot of people be able to use fractions.

Post a reply to this message
Post a related public discussion message
Ask Teacher2Teacher a new question