I think ColinsMum makes a valid argument for the 'fuzzy math'. Our school uses Math Investigations. What I have found is GS10 knew how to manipulate fractions & decimals a full year before MI introduced them. GS10 knew the standard way to add, subtract, multiply, divide, & convert fractions & decimals because I taught him. I taught him not only the standard algorythms, I taught him how to prove his answers and how to use manipulatives to understand what was going on with each operation.
MI uses a method of 'squares' for multiplying and really drops the ball on how that relates to multiplying using a standard algorythm. GS10 was still caught in that fuzzyness when they introduced their method of manipulating fractions & decimals.
I think GS10 finally understands MI math & how I taught him because I took the time to go through it with him. That is where I agree with ColinsMum, because GS10 can look at the numbers in more than one way and has a more thorough understanding of how they can accurately be manipulated.
GS10 appears to be typical for all the 5th graders at our school, even the gifted kids. Apparently, even most of the gifted kids didn't get it sorted out until the gifted teacher went through fractions & decimals.
MI is considered a full program, I'm not sure how effectively it can be used as a supplement. And I really feel sorry for a kid moving from another program to MI in 4th or 5th grade. I, and most of the teachers, think MI needs supplemented with drills to learn the math facts. Without the extra drills a child WILL NOT learn their math facts in MI. Give them some paper & they'll come up with the answer, but without drills they'll still be using the same paper to figure out 5+8=13 when they are 13.
Another thing about MI, it's a circular curriculum, and it's a real bore for gifted kids up until about 5th grade when it seems to become confusing.
Something else that seems to support my view of MI. Our school performs well on the state achievement tests at every grade level, on every subject, EXCEPT 5th grade math!
I guess my bottom line is, no matter what program our school uses for math, we'll supplement at home.
