Just the Facts
Did you know there's a controversy about how children should learn basic math facts? Some say kids should learn addition and multiplication tables through repetitive drill. Others feel they will absorb this information by osmosis as they solve problems. And still others think the answer lies somewhere betwixt these two. Here's the part everyone agrees on: all kids need to (eventually) learn basic addition and multiplication facts. Here's what folks disagree about: WHEN and HOW and TO WHAT EXTENT this should happen. Math wars rage between progressives who favor "discovery learning" and "arithmetical fundamentalists" (don't you love that!) who see a good bit of value in repetition and, yes, drill. Stanford math education professor Jo Boaler, author of a paper called "Fluency without Fear," argues for a deemphasis on memorization and drill: W hile research shows that knowledge of math facts is important, Boaler said the