PaperFractions

Success!

I'd been trying to find one of my favorite Math Wars quotes, without luck.

Then this morning it popped up unannounced in the middle of a different quest altogether.

Here is David Klein, speaking at a 2002 AEI seminar called DOES TWO PLUS TWO STILL EQUAL FOUR? WHAT SHOULD OUR CHILDREN KNOW ABOUT MATH?:


DR. KLEIN: The NCTM standards actually have deep mathematical flaws. The 1989 version was worse than the present one, but the present one does have some serious problems. For one thing, the quadratic formula, a major topic in eighth grade algebra, isn't even mentioned in the document.

But when the NCTM standards attempt to explain how to divide fractions for middle school, they don't even do it correctly. The method that they give there is they suggest repeated subtraction and analogy with whole numbers. Try that with 5/8 divided by 3/4 using the NCTM methods, and you'll be cutting paper all day and all night.


I don't think 5/8 is a very friendly fraction.



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• Posted by: CatherineJohnson
• LogDate: Jun 01, 2005 @ 09:14