Keep, Borrow, Change...Right?

Subtraction - Take Aways - Whatever you call it this is the first "big" hurdle for many students in a long race of mathematics.

It turns out that this first hurdle is often the first time parents seem to get beyond frustrated with the MANY ways students are presented with solving a subtraction problem. All of the skills you'll see in this video are essentially shortcuts that many discover on their own through mental math and practice. By presenting them to students at a young age they become more and more comfortable with numbers and their reasoning and number sense improves overall.

Enjoy!

Comments

There's HOW MANY ways to add 2 numbers?

To answer the title question - a LOT! We take for granted that most of us adults can add quickly because we "know our math facts". For many of us that may be true, but I would bet that the vast majority of adults out there do quite a few of the addition strategies your children are taught in elementary school without even knowing it! This video addresses some of the addition strategies that I've seen frustrating parents. Addition Video As always, let me know if there's a topic you'd like to see Demystified!

On the Line: Fractions, the Real F Word

Drawing a picture is one way to envision a fraction problem, but it certainly isn't the only way. Another strategy for dealing with fractions is to utilize a number line. A number line is really the school version of a tape measure - and every carpenter or contractor knows their tape measure fractions! If we expose students to the number line early and often, then as they start to investigate negative numbers the concept will be clearer. We aim for students to be flexible and nimble in their thinking, so if one pattern or strategy doesn't work they don't give up - instead they have another tool in their tool box (perhaps a tape measure?) to use.

The sum is the same, no matter how you got there; so how'd you get there?

Yet another example of adults saying "But there's a better way..." No one would argue that you, adult, can add probably faster than an elementary school student. We are in the process of building UP TO that speed and accuracy. By encouraging your child to imagine the groupings, you are building their imagination (draw whatever you'd like!), their math skills (count up, make 10s), and their mental flexibility ALL IN 1 PROBLEM! Check out my NEW addition video for a little more about how this problem is VERY similar to what many adults already do! Making sense of a problem IRL isn't about having an algorithm to write out your work. Instead it's about applying what you know to a REAL situation. This is what most adults think of when they see an addition problem: But this is what many ...

Demystifying Elementary Math (from a Secondary Perspective)

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