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Show JgQ HOiliS FROM W 1 HOff OTHER XM file Pllllf EDITORS From The Lincoln Times, Lin-colnton, Lin-colnton, N. C: Is fourth grader Johnny learning his arithmetic any better than or even as well as his parents did? He should do better than his parents there's little room for argument on that score. Arithmetic Arith-metic long has been the most poorly learned and lesst liked subject in elementary school. If you doubt this, just look at the way high school students avoid mathematics. Now comes news of a new program pro-gram that is proving that Johnny can learn arithmetic better and faster than children ever have in the past, and enjoy it in the process. proc-ess. The program, already in use in some 1,500 schools, was devised de-vised by two college professors of mathematics and education, Maurice Mau-rice Hartung and Henry Van Engen, who believe that grade schools should emphasize basic mathematics ideas that will carry over to high school courses. Most Important, the program's ultimate goal is to teach children to succeed suc-ceed with story type problems. Teachers know that the biggest weakness both of children and adults is problem solving. They can "figure" very well when they are told to divide or multiply but U they must decide tor themselves which process to use, they are , lost. In Chicago, recently, 54 out of 55 high school seniors were able to divide 234 by 13; but over 40 were unable to "state what percent per-cent of 60 makes 12." They didn't know they were supposed to divide 12 by 60. No one told them! Meeting this weakness head-on, the Hartung-Van Engen program begins teaching basic mathematics mathemat-ics to first graders. They explore the "why's" behind the rules, instead in-stead of blindly memorizing what the teacher or the book says. Third graders start using equations equa-tions to solve problems. By the time these youngsters get to sixth grade, they succeed with percents, ratios, and other topics usually taught in seventh or eighth grade. They understand what they're doing, are proud of their ability, and their teachers are confident they will be eager beavers for high school math. In i an age when the country needs so many scientists and engineers en-gineers with good mathematical backgrounds, this is doubly important. im-portant. Parents owe a vote of thanks to school educators who are using this new method in order to give our children the best possible training. |