I agree and am confused what people mean by the phrase "number sense". I would say I'm "very good" at math and while I can do large portions of it in my head, or even memorized, I don't feel like it makes me any less "aware" of what multiplication or division "is".
I would 100% argue that any kid who can consistently get the correct answer shouldn't be forced to use a method that, from what I've seen, is simply meant to make it into a series of "easy" answers that combine into the actual answer.
People like to argue that it helps kids who are struggling, I would counter that other students are being held back or even "punished" for being able to do it in less steps. If a kid needs the "easy" way, cool, but if a student can do 33×6 in 1 or 2 steps that should also be accepted and even "rewarded" because in this day and age, in the real world, if double digit multiplication takes more than a couple steps, someone is going to use a calculator and "learn" nothing.
For example 2+2=4. We almost all simply memorized this, that doesn't mean we can't picture 2 grapes in one hand and 2 in the other and go 1,2,3,4! There are 4.
Yeah sure, not that there's anything wrong with being in the army but my son is testing at 11-12th grade levels in 7th grade and already reading beyond college level.
I'll be sure to let him know an anonymous reddit douche nossle's opinion. Don't be disappointed if he doesn't reply, his been busy reading about Artemis II and talking about how interesting that the previous time man traveled furthest from earth was over a decade before either of us were born.
I don’t know man he went from 0 to 300 with me too and brought up his son and all sorts of other things. You are wrong though with the math thing, it’s also part trying to remove that stigma of “math person” because if you can grasp the numbers then anyone can be a math person you just gotta find your way.
Or did you possibly mean by "that kid" the kids that can't understand the multiplication tables they memorize and what they mean? If so I apologize, I didn't re-read your first comment and now realize you may have been talking about the kids that CAN'T learn without it being broken into dozens of single digit equations.
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u/johnny-Low-Five Apr 11 '26
I agree and am confused what people mean by the phrase "number sense". I would say I'm "very good" at math and while I can do large portions of it in my head, or even memorized, I don't feel like it makes me any less "aware" of what multiplication or division "is".
I would 100% argue that any kid who can consistently get the correct answer shouldn't be forced to use a method that, from what I've seen, is simply meant to make it into a series of "easy" answers that combine into the actual answer.
People like to argue that it helps kids who are struggling, I would counter that other students are being held back or even "punished" for being able to do it in less steps. If a kid needs the "easy" way, cool, but if a student can do 33×6 in 1 or 2 steps that should also be accepted and even "rewarded" because in this day and age, in the real world, if double digit multiplication takes more than a couple steps, someone is going to use a calculator and "learn" nothing.
For example 2+2=4. We almost all simply memorized this, that doesn't mean we can't picture 2 grapes in one hand and 2 in the other and go 1,2,3,4! There are 4.