"The 2:30 minute mark in "Kindergarten Testing without Tears" is
in how it relates to test-prep, questions as to whether it is cheating,
and how not to tip off the test monitor (!)"
One wonders why there is math-phobia in this country. With increasing numbers of high school grads entering college needing math remediation, we need not look further than how our culture makes math "scary" as early as Pre-K by setting up a system geared toward the test as the outcome and not necessarily learning or the desire to learn.
The first video is "Kindergarten Testing Without Tears." The 2:30 minute mark is jaw-drop astonishing in how it relates to test-prep, questions as to whether it is cheating, and how not to tip off the test monitor that your child took this particular "Lexus version" with the $300 ERB test prep . . .
The second video entitled "Math Salon" features Sue Van Hattum. The money quote here: "Earlier isn't better . . we learn more when we are ready to learn". The idea of a Math Salon has such great possibilities for creating a culturally "cool" venue for play and enhancement.
The juxtaposition of the two videos below - reflecting two polar-opposite approaches and attitudes toward math education in America starting at the kindergarten level - may leave you dazed with the level of disconnect between the two.
Effort to Restore Play Gains Momentum
More Children Take Tests for Gifted Programs, and More Qualify
New Gifted Testing May Begin at Age 3
The Daily Riff: Why Testing Fails: How Numbers Deceive Us All by Joe Ganem
The Daily Riff: Three Great Reads on High Stakes Standardized Tests
The Daily Riff: The Marshmallow Kindergarten Test - Will your child be successful in life?
Originally Published The Daily Riff October 2010