

What should we learn? - hhm
http://www.illuminatingscience.org/what-should-we-learn/

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ajkirwin
I tend to use a left-to-right multiplication method, mentally.

So 26 x 31 becomes

20 x 31 = 620 6 x 31 = 186 620 + 186 = 806

Anyone else do that?

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gills
If I don't have paper available (if I'm driving a car, for example) I will
subdivide a problem like that. I'm a visual person and it's easier for me than
visualizing long division.

There are many schools here in the Seattle area that switched to this "reform
math" a few years back, and there is a lot of talk about switching back to
classical instruction because this stuff just isn't cutting it.

I don't find the alternative methods work as well in alternative number bases,
especially if the student is overfit to some base-10 subdivision strategy.

Maybe we should teach kids logic first, then a ripple-carry adder, and go from
there :)

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yters
No, they should learn about transistors first. Or maybe particle physics. Only
then can they really understand how addition works.

