The Psychology of ArithmeticThorndike, Edward L. (Edward Lee)
Science
The Psychology of Arithmetic
Thorndike, Edward L. (Edward Lee)
Arithmetic -- Study and teaching
where he has to remember that 3 is to be added to the 56 when he
obtains it, and that only the 9 is to be written down, the 5 to be held
in mind for later use. The practice required to operate the bond
efficiently in this new set is desirable, even though it is excess from
a narrower point of view, and causes the straightforward 'seven eights
are fifty-six' to be overlearned. So also a pupil's work with 24, 34,
44, etc., +9 may react to give what would be excess practice from the
point of view of 4 + 9 alone; his work in estimating approximate
quotient figures in long division may give excess practice on the
division tables. There are many such cases. Even adding the 5 and 7 in
5/12 + 7/12 is not quite the same task as adding 5 and 7 undisturbed by
the fact that they are twelfths. We know far too little about the amount
of practice needed to adapt arithmetical bonds to efficient operation in
these more complicated conditions to estimate even approximately the
allowances to be made. But some allowance, and often a rather large
allowance, must be made.
The second is the case where the computation in general should be made
very easy and sure for the pupil except for some one new element that
is being learned. For example, in teaching the meaning and uses of
'Averages' and of uneven division, we may deliberately use 2, 3, and 4
as divisors rather than 7 and 9, so as to let all the pupil's energy be
spent in learning the new facts, and so that the fraction in the
quotient may be something easily understood, real, and significant. In
teaching the addition of mixed numbers, we may use, in the early steps,
11-1/2
13-1/2
24
------
rather than
79-1/2
98-1/2
67
------
so as to save attention for the new process itself. In cancellation, we
may give excess practice to divisions by 2, 3, 4, and 5 in order to make
the transfer to the new habits of considering two numbers together from
the point of view of their divisibility by some number. In introducing
trade discount, we may give excess practice on '5% of' and '10% of'
deliberately, so that the meaning of discount may not be obscured by
difficulties in the computation itself. Excess practice on, and
overlearning of, certain bonds is thus very often justifiable.
The third case concerns bonds whose importance for practical uses in
life or as notable facilitators of other bonds is so great that they may
profitably be brought to a greater strength than 199 correct out of 200
at a speed of 2 sec. or less, or be brought to that degree of strength
very early. Examples of bonds of such special practical use are the
subtractions from 10, 1/2 + 1/2, 1/2 + 1/4, 1/2 of 60, 1/4 of 60,
and the fractional parts of 12 and of $1.00. Examples of notable
facilitating bonds are ten 10s = 100, ten 100s = 1000, additions like
2 + 2, 3 + 3, and 4 + 4, and all the multiplication tables to 9 × 9.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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