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By Jane White

Recently, we sent home a math problem with our second grade math group and asked the children to talk it over with their families. Here it is: A woman bought a horse for $50. She sold it for $60. She then bought it back for $70, but sold it again for $80. How much, if any money, was she left with? Our hope was that that problem would foster mathematics discussion in our families. We have a vision for people talking as comfortably and excitedly about mathematics as we talk about a good book.

According to Marilyn Burns* a leading math educator, "Arithmetic has always been a major focus in school. It's one of the time-honored three Rs. But in the workforce today, knowing how to do computation is not what's being asked for. Employers are looking for workers who can assimilate information, solve problems and work with people cooperatively to come to decisions. It's thinking and reasoning…"

Rather than teaching children procedures that are then practiced by rote, we give children problems to solve. We have them interact with each other in small groups. We focus on their ability to make sense of what they're doing. At SRV, we use cubes and rods and other manipulatives that inherently have some mathematical structure in them. Children fit pieces together and make abstract ideas concrete. We use calculators and computers as tools, but we talk about answers making sense (or not) and why, and what to do with that information. As Marilyn Burns says, "Mathematics is the study of relationships and the connections between relationships. And the materials give the kids a concrete way to focus on those relationships."

Talk math at home, will you?

* Marilyn Burns is the creator of Math Solutions, offering in-service workshops nationwide. She is also the author of numerous books and articles.