When students learn math it tends to be by rote memorization not conceptualization. There is a disconnect when teaching counting. New math learners can tell you how many pennies are on the table, but when you ask them how much 7 + 4 pennies equals, they falter. There is something missing when going from manipulatives to worksheets. What is missing? When students don’t grasp the basics, they can’t succeed later in math because they don't have the foundations. I recently watched a training video on Touch Math. Touch Math is a multisensory system of teaching Mathematics. I was amazed how addition, subtraction, multiplication and division were made so easy in just an hour. Numbers 1-9 are touched the amount of times they are worth. For example, the number 1 is touched 1 time, the number 9 is touched 9 times, etc. So when you add 4 + 7, students touch seven because it is the bigger number and touch the 4, 4 times, saying 8, 9, 10, 11. 7 + 4 = 11. I wish I had learned math this way. This system takes away the missing step between rote memorization and conceptualization. I believe this program can help struggling students and give them higher self-esteem in math.
