Every time I see the term 'spiral' with Maths education I mentally picture the penny rolling around in those science museum black hole models LOL
Oh, man--- I am
so glad it isn't just me. I develop this involuntary SMIRK/SNEER when I "EnVision" it, too.
Many teachers do not realize that they have been given an unenviable and impossible task. In fact, I have spoken with new teachers who speak of EM and other poorly conceived programs in glowing terms, speaking of them as leading to “deeper understandings of math.” Some have said “I never understood math until I had this program.” But it is their adult insight and experience that is talking and creating the illusion that the math is deep. Children cannot make the connections the adults are making who already have the experience and knowledge of mathematics.
I've bemoaned EXACTLY this thing-- it's not really reasonable to expect autodidactism from students who have
no foundation (yet) to even tie things to.Administrators and teachers seem almost
willfully stupid about this. I mean, it COULD work-- if 9 year olds had the life experience and background of 25 year olds who have already "learned" this material before, or seen many, many real world applications of it over a long period of time. But 9yo children don't have that.
