Table of Contents
Introduction
In the paper Parrot Math new approaches of teaching the math along with the critics' approaches are focused. Critics of the new approaches have given key examples; and data to show that their approaches are dominant to other new approaches.
Critics espouse towards the "Parrot Math". Purpose of teaching math in elementary schools is only limited to arithmetic as the critics of new approaches say. Why do they criticize the new approaches of teaching the math? Critics claim that math can create a sense of thinking in children rather than adopting the thinking done by the others. Critics of new approaches have made assumptions against the activity based approaches but fail to provide the evidence for the effectiveness of Parrot Math.
Research has yielded the main finding that knower and known interaction develops the knowledge. Further they say that a difference exists between the children's thinking and adult's thinking; considering the social interaction a major reason behind intellectual growth (Menlo et., al, 1985). Harmful effects are noted in the force-feeding of the computational methods for the learning of arithmetic in children (Kamii and Dominick, 1994).
Main points of the research also explain the importance of the teaching of math in elementary schools of America. However people of America do not like the teaching of math because they think that Parrot Math is not so effective. They too believe that like the public administration of the elementary schools feels it unsuccessful. Now the activity based approach is considered to be more effective as it is supported by many factors like philosophy, classifying basics, generalizing, inferring and hypothesizing. Activity based approaches are more effective as students learn the math by those practices which enhance their intellects. So the parrot math is not more results producing as compared to activity based approaches of teaching the math.
Conclusions
It can be concluded that activity based approaches of math learning are more result producing as compared to approaches of critics.