tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post5656788759280138941..comments2023-10-29T07:25:14.554-07:00Comments on Story of My Life: P1 Math… The downfall of a P1 Parent...Chellespeakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961106731929967248noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post-25807514029154236322015-04-10T22:35:19.652-07:002015-04-10T22:35:19.652-07:00Hey Mathtuition! It's you again.. Haha.. I gue...Hey Mathtuition! It's you again.. Haha.. I guess you are out to spot for math entries huh? That said, I was discussing with a friend.. and my point was And how do u solve for ?. Do you take 8-3 to get the answer still or you based it on mental sum that ? is 5. If you are solving it with the latter then, we are expecting a P1 child to know their mental sums very well. And if so, we are also saying then that the child should just use mental sums and forget about the working. If you are telling the former then, my question is why is there only 1 step to the solution and isn't it the same as taking 8-3 from the start? <br />The starting point of it is not my concern. The way it is presented is. <br />My grouse is that just because it's from the publisher (which is approved by MOE) and/or written by a few professors doesn't make it a sensible (i.e. something that makes sense to a 7 year old) question. I can enjoy the complexity of it as an adult. But as a parent, no. <br />That said, I don't think skipping a step when presenting the solution makes the question more challenging, but it makes the solution more confusing to the child. But thanks for agreeing with me that it was an unnecessary confusion. Though the school has made it clear that with such working, they will still accept it as right…. Chellespeakshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00961106731929967248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post-70257460130614884432015-04-10T22:20:33.589-07:002015-04-10T22:20:33.589-07:00Good point, and I agree that putting the plus sign...Good point, and I agree that putting the plus sign there adds to unnecessary confusion.<br />Not to worry, as at higher levels (upper Primary and above), there is usually no specified method to solve the question, and students are free to use whatever method they like.<br /><br />Regarding 4) Intention of such questions, I think the teachers are trying to expose students to tricky questions. <br />One example of their favorite trick questions is: 5 more than ________ is 13, where students are supposed to fill in the missing blank. They are trying to trick students who add 5+13=18 upon seeing the word "more" without thinking.<br /><br />During my time as a student, there was a popular cheap trick set by teachers: Tom has 3 times more stickers than Peter, actually means Tom has 4 times as many stickers as Peter. They have stopped setting such trick questions though, which is a good thing as it doesn't test concepts while confusing the student unnecessarily.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com