General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Why Would a Math Teacher Punish a Child for Saying 5 x 3 = 15? [View all]Xyzse
(8,217 posts)I consider knowing concepts and strategies as a good thing, while creating as many short-cuts for efficiency as possible.
I seriously don't think this is healthy, as every one learns a bit differently. All this does is create frustration especially for those who have a great foundation in math to begin with.
It makes those who would be able to perform higher functions maybe just give up.
This seriously just does not engender a love for math in my opinion. In many ways, I would think you'd want to make math a bit more fun than this type of overly critical, hovering over-the-shoulder method that sucks out whatever fun one can glean from math.
You know what got me serious about math? Billiards. I saw this video which shows a billiards player showing off how angles work in the pool table. I thought that was so cool when I was a kid.
Activities, and things that would show math in action would do a heck of a lot more to improve math than this soul-sucking method. I understand wanting to see basics, and yes, I think such strategies may help for some. For some, it would just turn people off and want nothing to do with it altogether.