They're catchy.
They provoke a chorus of "oohs" and "aahs" from a once catatonic group of students.
But they are also misguided, fleeting, and often cultivate misconceptions and gaps in learning.
The
That is my nemesis.
A "math trick" is only beneficial if it is rooted in actual mathematics. But all too often our math tricks are just cleverly disguised fibs.
We tell our young students that in subtraction "we always start with the bigger number."
Our intermediate students are told that "multiplication always makes things bigger."
And, we encourage the use of acronyms that work in limited situations (PEMDAS and FOIL).
Now, I don't place any blame here. It's what we were all told in our elementary math years. But I struggled to unlearn these mantras (because that is what they become to an 8 year old) in order to continue my mathematical learning.
Every year I am ready to do battle with my nemesis. And this year, I happened upon some allies (thanks to the August issue of Teaching Children Mathematics).
I hope you will take the time to read this article. If I can "unlearn" these tricks, so can you!
And then hopefully our students won't have to fight this battle.
http://www.nctm.org/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=42962
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