WHY? For those who have very young children, this question is
asked more often than most others. “Why
does the sun move through the sky?” “Why
is the sky blue?” “Why do leaves turn
color in the fall?” “Why we stay on the
ground and not float into space?” Have
you ever tried answering those “why” questions with a one-word answer? If you did, it probably was followed up by
another open-ended question. Your short
answer just was not good enough for that inquisitive toddler.
When, then, throughout a child’s formative years, do we
switch over to only the “what” questions?
“What is 4+5?” “When was the
Declaration of Independence signed?”
“What color is produced when we mix red and blue?” “What are three causes of the Civil
War?” Perhaps a better question to ask
than “What is 3x6?” would be “WHY does 3x6=18?” or “Show me why 3x6 is not the
same as 6x3, even though they both equal 18,” or better yet, “Describe all of
the multiplication facts that equal 18, and represent them using arrays or
another model.” Now this "new math" has spawned serious discussion in many homes across the country, including the Schulz household.
Personally, I don’t have a problem if my fourth-grader has to
occasionally use his fingers to figure out some multiplication facts. I don’t care if he needs to add five 12s
because he does not remember that 5x12=60.
I simply love to see the amazement in his eyes when he “gets it.” He now understands how to add fractions by
first making common denominators. (Back
in the day, I don’t think I learned this until sixth grade.) Even more amazing, he can tell me WHY he
needs to find common denominators instead of just performing a rote algorithm.
We could endlessly debate the merits vs. the demise of
society because of the Common Core or any other set of state standards, but it
really is not about that at all. Let’s
not cease to use the same amazement when a student truly “gets it” instead of
just “gets the right answer.” If you
are not asking WHY, then why not?
