When so many good parents are afraid for their very intelligent but frustrated children who cannot memorize arithmetic facts and algorithms, it is time to rethink the requirements for basic arithmetic proficiency. We got rid of neckties and suits, we got rid of prayers and flag salute, we got rid of Greek and Latin, we got rid of Huckleberry Finn and Uncle Tom's Cabin, we got rid of diagramming sentences, we got rid of memorizing state capitols and names and dates of Presidents, now let's chuck memorization of arithmetic facts. Many geniuses were unable to learn basic high school arithmetic: Temple Grandin, Thomas Edison, Einstein, Faraday, Maxwell, Poincare, Tesla. Read Thomas West's book "In The Mind's Eye.
Already some University Liberal Arts programs are not requiring the GRE which is heavy on math of their candidates because they use very little math in their studies.
We are in danger of losing some very fine minds because of this artificial and antiquated barrier to higher education being placed in the way of our intelligent but dyslexic children.
Written by
digits
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I'm a dyslexic Maths teacher who specialises in teaching SEN and low ability students, and I completely disagree. Basic arithmetic underpins everything else you do in Maths, you can't just do away with it. Too many students aren't fluent enough at the basics, which means when you try to teach anything more involved they spend so much mental investment on the easy bit that should have been automatic that the harder work is lost. Until you are fluent with the basics you can't move on to the harder stuff. There has already been a massive faddy shift AWAY from the memorisation of arithmetic facts, and us teachers are seeing the impacts. Previously it was a given you'd know it, now we're having to waste time each lesson with kids grappling with easy stuff they should know, AND devote curriculum time re-covering it instead of moving on.
As a dyslexic myself I was always good at Maths, understanding concepts and logic, but I always struggled on the basics, and I still refuse to teach top sets because I am still not as fluent as I should be. Teaching has helped no end because of the repetition, plus I have to know these facts, but that's what should have happened when I was younger. I *should* have practised practised practised to save time. But that's not the fashionable thing in education at the moment. Yes, it's harder when you're dyslexic, but because the basics underpin everything else you need to do everything you can to get to grips with it. It is not an artificial barrier, it is very much real.
Unless by basic arithmatic you mean Maths in general? You need the basics down to move on to anything in Maths, so we can't do away with them. Maths in general? Well as a dyslexic student I always loved Maths because I found it so much easier to access (read) and felt so much less stupid (spelling corrections etc). I also speak to so many dyslexic students and their parents who say Maths is the only area they're confident in, see students entering high school that hated and were worn down by primary school, but with the subjects separated are suddenly able to achieve in Maths, seeing their confidence grow is amazing. Maths can often be a saviour subject for dyslexic students (and those with other SEN, eg ASD), so it'd be a shame to see someone advocating its removal in the name of SEN.
There are several points of agreement between us, feak. Yes, basic arithmetic does underlie much, but not all, of what we do. Like you I, too, learned some of the basic number facts by excessive repetition from teaching third graders times tables. Unfortunately, I was not able to tolerate teaching very long, so I never got to learn middle and high school math that way.
But, all the drill and mindless rote when I was in grade school never put the basic arithmetic facts into my brain. It was the using them and looking them up over and over again, or counting on my fingers over and over again as I wrote up exercises for the students that got the basic arithmetic facts into my dyscalculic skull.
In high school algebra, I was able to set up the formulas for the story problems, but I never got the correct answer because I could not remember how to manipulate fractions. In geometry I understood the visuals, but could not remember a theorem to save my life. Because of these failures, I was not allowed to take algebra 2, nor trig, nor any lab science in high school.
When my IQ scores showed that I was actually at the opposite end from retarded, and my aptitude and interest tests showed strong inclination towards science, I was still not allowed to take any college science courses because I did not have the basic high school math and basic high school lab courses.
Because at that time, no one knew about learning disabilities, dyslexia, ADD, Asperger's, or even depression, I was blamed, shamed, and excoriated by teachers and by family. I barely graduated, in disgrace,and was never able to find suitable work. All my life I have been consistently underemployed, underpaid, and under socialized because professionals with my interests and my level of intelligence shunned me when they learned what low level jobs I was doing.
While I was trying to find a way into science without the high school math I missed, I interviewed two dozen professional scientists and engineers working in their fields of study. I asked them how much they used all the math they had been required to take. They nearly all admitted that most of the required courses were "just a bunch of hoops to jump through", that they were not relevant to their work. Only one scientist out of the two dozen said that he actually used some of the higher math he had studied for certain unusual calculations he had to make. The others said they used and consulted slide rules, calculators, computers, charts, graphs, and tables when they needed figures, statistics, formulas, calculations, computations. Further, several stated that they were not fluent with the basic number facts taught in grade and high school, could not recite the times tables, and could not do long division or derive a square root by paper and pencil. Learning this really hurt!
What I have learned in recent years, as an adult of retirement age hurts even more. I have learned what my problems and diagnoses were and still are: depression, ADD, Asperger's, dyscalculia. Worse yet, I have learned that several of our greatest minds could not "do" their school math studies, either, people like Faraday, Maxwell, Einstein, Dodgson, Poincare, Edison, and Tesla. Please read "In the Mind's Eye" by Thomas G. West, Prometheus Books 1997. The evidence is that arithmetic as taught in grade and high school does not support higher mathematics!
Dear Feak-thank goodness you are not teaching my dyslexic child. It sounds like you have very little understanding of the way a dyslexic learns! The only reason you think you can answer this question is because you are dyslexic yourself-this just isn't good enough. Many dyslexics also have problems with maths, mainly because they have memory problems, visual spatial problems & many other problems that make it difficult to rote learn. You happen to be lucky at being able to do maths, many dyslexics can't-go back to college & learn some empathy!
We all have strengths and weaknesses in different areas and I think we need to respect each others opinions and expertise, whether we agree or disagree, let's keep it tidy with the insults guys!
It would have been better if you had replied to jentopt directly instead of to me, "digits", as I have not insulted anyone. Further, I find jentopt harsh, but not insulting. I feel her harshness is justifiably fueled by frustration with the system. The system ruined my life. I wish I had had parents, teachers, counselors, anyone at all advocating for me instead of punishing and penalizing me for being a "lazy, underachieving student and a disgrace to my family"!
What I write on this and other related blogs is my personal experience. When I find books, biographies and lectures that validate and corroborate my experiences, I quote them. I hope to educate others to respect the unique and atypical experiences of those who suffer instead of denying our experiences because they do not fit an established theoretical model. Thanks! "digits"
veterinary nursing. The college have now brought at the fact that I behind my peeps with completed...
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
