Technology, 'number sense' key in new elementary math program

When asked how she found the answer to four times seven, Mia Williams, 8, said she had "counted the fours" - a thoughtful explanation showing she understood not only the multiplication tables, but the meaning behind them.

It worked. "Mikala, it's 28!" she said gleefully to Mikala Pratt, 8, her partner in a math game at Mills-Parole Elementary School.

Such games are essential to the new math program being taught in county elementary schools this year, EnVisionMATH, a textbook series published by Pearson. The schools spent about $3 million this year switching to the program, which relies heavily on technology and hands-on activities like Mia and Mikala's game, and claims to help young students gain a deeper understanding of math.

Rivers of ink have been spilled over how that should be done, as educators and politicians alike struggle to keep American students competitive with students in foreign countries that are outpacing the United States in math-based fields like science and engineering.

Experts said the answer may lie in programs that, like enVisionMATH, ditch older, "don't ask why, just divide and multiply" philosophies, and instead teach the meaning behind the math and "number sense."

"You have more of a balance today," said Jonathan Wray, president of the Maryland Council of Teachers of Mathematics. "It's not just modeling the steps for how to solve a problem. It's giving deep opportunities to understand a particular concept or skill."

For example, for the game in Mia's class, students rolled dice and then wrote out explanations of how to multiply the numbers they rolled, pulling out factors that could be used within the solution. Then they marked off the answers on a sheet like a BINGO card with foam squares.

The exercise gave students a tangible way to use multiplication, and it engaged them more than a teacher would by standing in front of the class and lecturing, said Teresa Gregory, a math specialist at Mills-Parole.

In another classroom, fourth-graders watched an animated lesson projected from Pearson's Web site onto a screen. In between snippets of animation, the teacher reiterated each point, and afterward students composed written answers to questions including "What does it mean to have equal groups?" and "What are the ways you can arrange equal groups?" Only after they discussed their answers did they move on to solving multiplication problems.

That thoughtful approach drew in the team of county educators who chose enVisionMATH, said Debbie Vitale, coordinator of elementary mathematics for county schools.

"With every lesson, it had them working with other students, talking to each other," she said. "Creating meaning before you learn how to do it with paper and pencil."

Teachers also liked the heavy use of technology - everything from overhead projectors to SMART boards, videos and interactive exercises online. Parents can log on to a Web site and watch the lessons used in their child's class, and teachers can "drop" activities in students' online files for them to do at home.

"It's very cutting edge," Mr. Wray said.

The county spent about $3 million this year on switching to enVisionMATH, or about $90 per student, said Susan Bowen, director of budget and finance for county schools. The schools spend between $9 million and $14 million each year on new textbooks, as part of a plan to get all schools using the same books.

This year it was the elementary math department's turn. It was about time: The old textbook by Saxon Publishers used at Mills-Parole last year didn't have color, and it didn't provide as many levels of learning as the new program, said third-grade teacher Tara Heil.

"This is really meeting the students' needs a lot better," she said. "After teaching Saxon for three years and this for three months, I can say it's better."