Q: What is Connected Mathematics?
A: Connected Mathematics is a mathematics program that helps students develop mathematical knowledge, understanding and skill. Students develop a capacity to define and solve problems with reason, insight, inventiveness, and technical proficiency. Throughout the program, students build on and make connections among mathematical ideas and concepts. Specific units in the Connected Mathematics program have been integrated into our Middle School Mathematics curriculum.
Q: Should students use calculators?
A: Calculators are an important tool for learning and doing mathematics. However, the calculator should not be a replacement for basic understanding and skills. It is important to note that the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJASK) has both calculator and non-calculator portions. Therefore, it is crucial that students be able to compute without a calculator. A goal of mathematics education is for students to learn when mental computation is the best strategy, when paper and pencil are practical, and when a calculator is the tool of choice. Some assignments are too complex and too time consuming to complete without a calculator. For other assignments, practice in computation is part of the goal and mental computation or paper and pencil should be used.
Q: Why not tell students how to solve the problem?
A: One of the important aspects of mathematics is having the ability to problem solve. By not telling students how to solve a problem and having them determine their own approach,
- they understand why they are using a certain procedure.
- they are more likely to remember how to do it.
- if they forget it, they can recreate it for themselves.
- they recognize when as answer does not make sense.
Q: What can I do as a parent to help my child learn how to solve a problem?
A: There is no single way to solve a problem. This makes helping your child a challenge. To make children think and create meaning for themselves try posing questions such as “Would a table or diagram help?,” “What are you trying to find out?,” or “What could you do as a first step?”
Q: What is Mathercise?
A: On a regular basis, students will be asked to determine the answers to 20 basic facts in two minutes. The questions asked are based on basic number combinations that the students should be able to compute mentally. The Mathercise activities are meant to be one part of a well-balanced mathematics program by helping build computational fluency.
Q: What is computational fluency?
A: Computational fluency is having efficient, flexible and accurate methods for computing with numbers. To be considered fluent in computation, students must be able to compute mentally, with paper and pencil, and with a calculator. Not only must the student have the ability to compute with all three methods, but also know which method is best based on a given task.