Everyday Math

1. Everyday Math By Tanya Granger Greg Schwarz Stacey Pinto Leah Kantor

2. Philosophy • This program is based on the idea that math makes more sense when it can be connected to a child’s life experiences. Students also come into school with their own mathematical knowledge and intuition that should be built upon to create an understanding of math. And lastly that teachers and their instruction are the key to success in any program.

3. Research • The research evidence about Everyday Mathematics (EM) almost all points in the same direction: Children who use EM tend to learn more mathematics and like it better than children who use other programs. This finding has been supported by research carried out by the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project (UCSMP), by independent researchers at other universities, and by many school districts across the nation.

4. Research (cont.) Carroll, W. M. (2001). Students in a Standards-based mathematics curriculum: Performance on the 1999 Illinois State Achievement Test. Illinois Mathematics Teacher, 52(1), 3-7. • * This paper reports a study of the performance of Chicago-area Everyday Math (EM) students on the 1999 Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT). The study compared third and fifth graders using EM with those who didn’t • * The study found that EM students significantly outperformed comparison students, even after controlling for all other significant variables such as percent low-income and per-pupil expenditure. • * The study also found that, "the differences favoring the EM curriculum were largest in schools with a higher percentage of low-income students" (p. 5).

5. Research (cont.) Waite, R. D. (2000). A study of the effects of Everyday Mathematics on student achievement of third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students in a large North Texas Urban School District. Ann Arbor, Michigan: UMI. • * The study compared the performance of students in a large North Texas school district who were taught with two different mathematics curricula. One curriculumwas Everyday Mathematics; the other curriculum was a more traditional, district-approved textbook from a large publisher. • * After one year of Everyday Mathematics usage, "almost all comparisons showed that the experimental group taught with the Everyday Mathematics curriculum had higher scores on the 1999 Texas Assessment of Academic Skills mathematics test. When compared to children with similar mathematics ability at the beginning of the 1998-99 school year, the students in this study who were taught using Everyday Mathematics showed greater achievement gains than students in classes that used the district-approved curriculum" (p. 2).

6. Pros • Developmentally appropriate • Teacher’s manual is user friendly • Many opportunities to be exposed to the same concept • Activities that make math fun • Many different approaches to help all learners

7. Cons • Absence of student text or reference materials for review • Few worked examples and problems, overly simplistic problems • Not realistic in the amount of time meant to complete each lesson • Seems to take teachers a couple years of using it to get comfortable

8. Target Audience The program is ideal for students ranging from pre-kindergarten through 6th grade. The curriculum includes: • Real life problem solving • Plenty of attention to computational and arithmetic skills • Balanced instruction – includes whole group instruction, small group instruction, and individual activities • Multiple methods for learning a skill • Emphasis on communication – students are encouraged to discuss their mathematical thinking • Enhanced home/school partnership • Appropriate use of technology – when basic computation is involved calculators aren’t permitted, yet they are allowed in certain parts of the program • In depth study of all mathematical strands- geometry, data, probability, measurement, algebra and use of variables in many contexts

9. Prior knowledge of students • Due to the spiraling nature of the program, students first need to demonstrate mastery of basic math skills in order to progress. • It begins with simple math and progressively becomes more difficult • Students must be able to communicate or accommodations must be made with teacher in order to discuss the mathematical process

10. Elements of the Program • Uses real life problem solving which is great! • Uses many methods for teaching • Uses whole group instruction, small group and individual which in class we talked about

11. Monitoring Student Progress • Everyday Math offers a variety of assessment options for students. • The Teacher’s Assessment Assistant can be used to match assessment options for your grade with state standards • Data collection is introduced to students as early as kindergarten using things of interest to them to motivate learning • This gives students an opportunity to decide on methods of collecting, representing and explaining their data

12. Learning Differences • Attention- real life problem solving can keep students interest. Uses many games and manipulatives • Spatial- exercises include active, hands on lessons that all students can participate in • Sequential Processing- this can be the biggest problem in math, EM has many different ways of learning that can help assist most students • Language- there are many opportunities for students to work in groups and help each other learn through practicing language skill

13. Learning Differences (cont) • Memory- EM contains many repetition activities to help refresh students learning each day • Higher Order of Thinking- activities start very simple and don’t move on until the skill is mastered • Motor Skills- group activities can help students help one another