Standard+and+alternative+algorithms

Here is the power point along with the homework assignment for the standard and alternative algorithm information.

There are six places where you can respond to questions contained in the power point. Pick THREE of six questions to respond to. You only have to write THREE responses. Try to have your responses posted by Monday, April 10th, 2011. [|dr dea rap]

[|lattice multiplication]

[|singapore math]

Is education really the key to success?[|education vs. success]

Silena Hammond's slide show answers: Response to Slide 2: The important things to remember when teaching math are that your students have diverse educational abilities, learning styles, and attitudes regarding math. Therefore, as a math teacher I need to be creative and varied in my approaches, and positive in my attitudes. Response to Slide 10: Developing computational fluency is the foundation upon which all higher math is built. If a studnet is not developing fluency, it is very likely that he is not learning math with meaning and understanding and going through the motions will only get a student so far in his education and life. Response to slide 25: Division is very difficult because it involves all of the math computation skills, so if you are not fluent in adding, subtracting, and especially, multiplication, well, forget about it! It's also difficult because unless you have a strong understanding of place value, then it is easy to use your place and calculate incorrectly. Thanks! Silena

Sarah Patschke's slide show answers: Response to Slide 2: When teaching math, help students understand predisposed ideas with awareness to varying comprehension abilities and learning styles. Remember make math creative, applicable FUN! Response to Slide 25: Division is difficult because it incorporates all the operations. Later steps are easier but initially complicated by number placement and the order value places are dealt within the equation. Response to Slide 27: I think division should still be understood through rote memory and handwritten computations for elementary level comprehension. Later, calculators can be used for more advanced computations.

**Lori Piechowski's Slide Show Answers** **Response to slide 6:** Math understanding is important for today’s children economically because their future prosperity will depend upon their understanding and their ability to apply it to solve a wide variety of problems. **Response to slide 10:** Teaching alternative algorithms increases math proficiency in many ways. Firstly, different algorithms are often based on different concepts and teaching them all allows children to see all the facets. Secondly, it allows the individual to use a method that makes sense to him/her. Thirdly, it shows children there is more than one way to find a correct solution, encouraging children to experiment, think outside the box, and build their problem-solving skills. **Response to slide 27:** I believe it’s very important to teach both long division and nontraditional division algorithms. In my experience, I’ve witnessed an entire classroom of children (including special ed. and Title 1 math) prefer long division and use it successfully, with understanding. We shouldn’t scrap it just because our text book claims it’s more difficult for children to understand.

**Jan Marnocha: Responses to Standard & Alternative Algorithms** **Response to Slide 2:** When teaching math we need to make it relevant, make real life connections, use different approaches, and make math fun!
 * Response to Slide 10:** Because not all children think or learn the same way, use of alternative algorithms may be the answer to getting students to comprehend the actions.
 * Response to Slide 25:** Having understanding that you use all the math functions when completing a division problem: division, multiplication, addition and subtraction is crucial to a student’s success!


 * Laura Miller: Responses to Power Point Questions**
 * Response to Slide 27**: Doing long division is a great mental exercise that shouln't be eliminated because it requires lots of class time. Class time should be for practice!
 * Response to Slide 6**: In today's world, children have to understand how math works in order to prosper and be able to contribute to the good of our society.
 * Response to Slide 2**: When teaching math, it is important for us to equip our students with skills that will help them approach and solve everyday, real life problems.

**Response to Slide 6:** Understanding math is important in economic terms is important because math is everywhere. Even the simplest jobs require at least some understanding of basic math. **Response to Slide 10:** Teaching children alternative algorithms is important because I think it’s important to give children a choice. If the child is able to choose how they will do the task they will own it and will be motivated to complete it.
 * Ray Cash: Responses to Power Point Questions**
 * Response to Slide 2:** The important thing to consider when teaching math is that every student is different and everyone learns in different ways.


 * Tess Collins Slide Show Responses**
 * Response to slide 2**: Not all students are built the same nor understand the same ways of teaching. Be sure to teach different methods while always making real life connections.
 * Response to Slide 6:** Math and understanding just how values work and what exactly percentages mean rather it is grocery shopping or interest rates on a credit card is essecntial because people are always looking to take advantages and the earlier children understand what numbers mean the better.
 * Response to slide 10**: Computaional fluency is so important because most jobs now require speed and efficiency. The need for computational fluency is only going to increase so children need to be prepared.

**Raquel Bohn’s Responses** **Slide 2:** Gain an understanding of what the students already know and what they need to know before teaching math. Make it challenging, interesting and fun. **Slide 6:** Economically, math is important for today’s child so he/she knows and understands the value of money, what it takes to survive and how to calculate what’s needed in order to contribute to society. **Slide 10:** Students learn and understand differently. Having alternative options available will help students develop problem solving skills along with understanding how to solve math problems.

__** Deep thoughts by: Eric Pilsl **__ **Response to slide 6:** Math is important to today's child because everything financial deals with math; from simply counting money to developing a budget to understanding interest rates. **Response to subtraction information:** Learning different methods of anything strengthens one's ability to hone that particular skill. It also adds to a deeper understanding of the task at hand. **Response to slide 25:** Division is difficult because one must use multiple math skills in order to find a quotient. Mastery of such skills is essential in comprehending division.

**Response to Slide 10 on computational fluency:** It's important that students learn the basics extremely well before they move on to more difficult skills, as math is taught in a building-block approach with the more difficult skills being taught later. **Response to Slide 25**: Division is difficult because it utilizes all the algorithms working together. It was difficult for me because I had not mastered multiplication facts making division that much more difficult.
 * __ Lindsay Zahner: __**
 * Response to Slide 2: ** Holding yourself accountable for student learning by using ongoing assessments, allowing students to utilize a variety of methods learning in the most comfortable method, be creative in approaches fulfilling the student's need for F-U-N, FUN!

-Response to slide 2: Taking different learning abilities into account will help differentiate instruction when planning effective math lesson.s -Response to slide 6: Math is used almost everyday. Working on finances or finding the best prices are some of the most important daily math activities. -Response to slide 25: Long division was always frustrating for me to get through all the steps. Remembering the order of the steps and lining it up is very important to find the right answer.
 * Rachel Blohm **

Nick Vogt’s Slide Show Response Response to slide 2. The important things to remember are each student can succeed, math can be fun, and students learn in different ways. Response to slide 6. Learning math basics is very important for living a successful life. Whether it being using it in a job, or simply balancing a check book. Response to slide 10. Teaching alternative algorithms gives students more opportunities to succeed. Students learn in many different ways and giving them ways to expand their problem solving skills.

**Stephanie Feuerstein** Response to slide #2 - You must teach the material clearly and keep the students interested and connected while maintaining the current state standards. Response to slide #10 - By teaching using alternative algorithms, a student has the ability to make more connections to the basic algorithm and gain a better understanding of the math process. Response to slide #25 - I think division seems difficult because all of the steps in long division are intimidating until the student finally understands that it's simply the opposite of multiplication.

Jim Birch Slide 6 There are many different areas being cut or having funding reduced that we as teachers need to make sure that we provide the best education that is possible. I find it really hard to believe that we as a country want our students to excel over other countries, yet politicians are cutting the schools budgets. Slide 10 There are so many more options that the students have when they leave our classrooms that as teachers make sure the students can be as prepared as possible. Slide 25 I think starting division is hard because you don't always end up with a whole number. I think that when students that are just learning division seeing a number with decimal points confuses them; I know it did me when I first started.


 * Nikki Frank **

**Slide 10** asks “How does teaching children to understand alternative algorithms help their math proficiency?” I think understanding alternate possibilities for solution is not only helpful for proficiency in that students have many ways to get answers, but it allows the variety needed to ensure everyone is able to grasp a concept. **Slide 25** asks, “What makes division so difficult?” Multiplication! Division is multiplication backwards and when basic facts aren’t memorized your out of luck. Pound out the multiplication table and division should be easier, but it is still backwards.

**Slide19** asks “How can Partial Difference subtraction assist in understanding the subtraction algorithm?” I found Partial difference to work in correlation with estimation. If a child is struggling with subtraction algorithms but understands estimation partial difference might help make the connection.

Amy Edlefson Response to Subtraction Information: Partial Difference Subtraction helps to maintain a strong sense of place value and breaking down a larger problem into a few smaller problems. It also encourages students to use their mental math abilities which will only grow stronger and more efficient as they are used.

Response to Slide 25: I have always found long division, especially with a two-digit divisor, to be a process of trail and error. In my life I have found it faster to estimate and then work from there to find an exact answer. Sadly, this is not terribly efficient.

Response to slide 27: I would agree with NCTM and NAEP findings and think that calculators could be a GREAT tool for long division after the concept of division is understood.

__ David Becker: Responses to Standard & Alternative Algorithms __ **Slide #2** What are the important things to consider when you teach math? Not all students will learn or perceive mathematics in the same way. I “see” the numbers as I work with mental math, almost like a visual chalkboard, others hear numbers. The use of many different techniques, processes, or “tricks” is important for the diverse learning styles I will be presented with. If I am to be an affective teacher, I must be able to use the strategies that fits best with that students style, be it Singapore math, or the traditional methods.

**Slide #6** Why is Math understanding important for today’s child? As our world becomes more technical, more virtual, mathematics will become increasingly important. While we will have advances that allow us to get to higher math easier (i.e. graphing calculators, computers) it will remain for us to understand how those answers are generated and what they really represent. THere is also the simple fact that everyone needs to be able to balance their finances.

**Slide #10** How does teaching children to understand alternative algorithms help their math proficiency? Allowing students to use various methods to create understanding will naturally allow them to advance further in Mathematics. Mathematics is based upon those first basic uses of adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing, if any of these processes are not understood, advancing becomes difficult if not impossible. Using alternative methods allows us to scaffold those students to the desired understandings.