"This involves teaching many different concepts at the same time instead of sequentially, and using manipulatives in place of numbers to illustrate mathematical concepts long after number sense should have been mastered " (Groves, 2011). This switch in theory, caused serious controversy among mathematicians and math educators. If children have not yet mastered basic math facts, how can they be expected to master advanced concepts? Researchers believe that it is just too much too soon for young children (Groves, 2011). Tom Loveless says "Youngsters who have not mastered whole number arithmetic by the end of 4th grade are at risk of later becoming remedial students in mathematics. " Furthermore, he "urges that every student in the nation should receive a thorough grounding in arithmetic " (Loveless, 2011). .
The push to master facts by a certain age and prior to moving on to more complex math is most controversial with parents and teachers of gifted students. These students are often thought to be bored by simple, basic math concepts. Although "some of the very highest areas of math do not require automaticity of basic math facts, they do require automaticity of the skills that fall somewhere in between them and single-digit addition, and that those skills are very difficult to master and to automate when the basic stuff isn't firmly in place " (Yermish, 2011). Is it possible for students to advance without being secure? Math is cumulative, and, as a result, weaknesses in arithmetic will effect the learning of all future math. Most people believe that learning math facts is boring. This is not a reason to skip learning them. This becomes a challenge for teachers. They must find a way to make intrinsically boring material interesting enough that students will see the relevance and show a desire to master it because it is important. .
Is Technology the Downfall of Math Education .
In their article, "The Arithmetic Gap", Tom Loveless and John Coughlan, state that while math achievement seems to be increasing (according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress " NAEP) computational skills are decreasing.
