Re: How to End the Math Wars

On Jan 6, 2007, at 8:04 AM, RobynW wrote:

> I think Professors Bishop and Milgram are doing a great service by  
> speaking out against reform math.  My kids use Everyday Math and I  
> think it stinks.

Well, as I wrote here the other day, I live in a state where it's  
widely used, and in a city where it's been used for more than a  
decade. This is a VERY education-oriented town, not unlike many  
university towns, and there are lots of highly-educated people here  
with strong backgrounds in math and/or science and/or applied fields.  
There's no hue and cry for the removal of either EM or CMP. None.

Wayne Bishop would tell us that all the kids must be getting outside  
tutoring, of course. No supporting data, but he'll tell us.


>
> Regarding your previous post (i.e., "speed the day", etc), do you  
> really want Professor Bishop to die?

I wouldn't shed a tear if he did, but since he is ostensibly a  
mathematician, I'd settle for him sticking to what he actually knows  
something about. He does have that one linear algebra book in print.  
There's still a used copy at the Kiwanis. Been there for at least  
three years. I could pick it up for about a buck, maybe less  
depending on who's working the used book table, but I have several  
very good texts, including Serge Lang's.

>   Why?  Because he doesn't like lattice multiplication?

Funny you should pick on lattice multiplication. I don't much "like  
it" myself. But kids do. Lots of them. Most of them, in the districts  
I've worked with the last five years or so, seem to prefer it. It's  
easy. It's organized. It seems to work. What's to dislike? It's not  
the way *I* learned multiplication, but in retrospect, I suspect more  
kids of my era would have succeeded with the multiplication process  
if they'd had that option available.

You have a gripe with it, I guess? I don't even recall Wayne  
mentioning it. He's got so many other things to hate, after all.

Here's my only suggestion, though I expect it will fall on deaf ears:  
read the materials EM writes for parents. Suspend your hatred long  
enough to read about the program as if you had no feelings one way or  
the other about it. Who knows? You might actually realize it didn't  
"stink" quite so badly. But what would I know?
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