NewsPre-K to 8
Everyday Math raises the standard
Nov 26, 2001 8:00 AM
By Stefan Eady - Faculty
Everyday Math, the Lower School’s new math curriculum, is getting high scores from students and principal Mark Tayloe. “We had an extremely successful first year with the program in both classroom performance and Educational Research Bureau scores and look forward to even greater success this year,” Tayloe said. “Two years ago, our teachers and I considered a number of different math options, and felt that Everyday Math is the best program available to challenge and stimulate our students while at the same time provide the basics that are essential components of every traditional math series.” Most of Darlington’s peer schools, including Lovett, Westminster, Pace, Trinity, Walker, Woodward and Athens Academy have already adopted Everyday Math in their curriculum.
The Lower School has used a two-year approach to infiltrate Everyday Math into the curriculum. Last year, first, second, and third grade classes used the program and this year, fourth and fifth grade classes were added. “Our teachers really enjoy using the curriculum, and many of our students will testify that math is their favorite subject,” Tayloe said. “While emphasizing all the fundamental components of a traditional curriculum, Everyday Math forces the students to think more critically – outside the box – and look at different methods to solve problems.”
Everyday Math follows the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Curriculum Standards. The standards balance the acquisition of basic facts with teaching children to:
· Value mathematics
· Communicate mathematically
· Reason mathematically
· Develop confidence in their ability to do math
· Become mathematical problem solvers
Everyday Math recognizes that children have the ability to connect real-life experiences to new learning. Since children have various learning styles and most students do not learn every concept the first time it is taught. Everyday Math uses a spiraling approach to mastery. Each concept and skill is revisited over a period of time not only to promote retention, but also to allow for a variety of exposures and increased depth of understanding. Students are expected to learn basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts, but rather than using only drills to accomplish this, the program incorporates partner and small group activities, games and hands-on projects and explorations that focus on higher-level thinking and problem-solving. For example, students are introduced to some algebra even as early as the first grade.
“It has been a fun and challenging program for the children as well as for the teachers,” said third grade teacher Charla Brewster, who spearheaded the Lower School’s search for a new curriculum two years ago. “Our students are not only getting better at math but becoming better thinkers as well.”
The Lower School has used a two-year approach to infiltrate Everyday Math into the curriculum. Last year, first, second, and third grade classes used the program and this year, fourth and fifth grade classes were added. “Our teachers really enjoy using the curriculum, and many of our students will testify that math is their favorite subject,” Tayloe said. “While emphasizing all the fundamental components of a traditional curriculum, Everyday Math forces the students to think more critically – outside the box – and look at different methods to solve problems.”
Everyday Math follows the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Curriculum Standards. The standards balance the acquisition of basic facts with teaching children to:
· Value mathematics
· Communicate mathematically
· Reason mathematically
· Develop confidence in their ability to do math
· Become mathematical problem solvers
Everyday Math recognizes that children have the ability to connect real-life experiences to new learning. Since children have various learning styles and most students do not learn every concept the first time it is taught. Everyday Math uses a spiraling approach to mastery. Each concept and skill is revisited over a period of time not only to promote retention, but also to allow for a variety of exposures and increased depth of understanding. Students are expected to learn basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts, but rather than using only drills to accomplish this, the program incorporates partner and small group activities, games and hands-on projects and explorations that focus on higher-level thinking and problem-solving. For example, students are introduced to some algebra even as early as the first grade.
“It has been a fun and challenging program for the children as well as for the teachers,” said third grade teacher Charla Brewster, who spearheaded the Lower School’s search for a new curriculum two years ago. “Our students are not only getting better at math but becoming better thinkers as well.”
