New Approach to Learning and Knowing Math!
CommonSenseMath.org stands in contrast to knowing math mostly as something you learn from textbooks or teachers and are expected to memorize. Instead, you are helped to discover math more by answering questions than by being told. You learn from your own intuitive understanding, from your common-sense answers. Your knowledge belongs to you. It stands in contrast to a jumble of rules and procedures that clog your brain. It is liberating. The approach is significantly different than what is currently done. It is pretty close to a paradigm shift. It aims to affect dismal national statistics and help all enjoy math and welcome it as a natural dimension of their daily lives.
What if...
you were concerned with the United States being so low in math achievement compared to other countries?
What if...
you were aware of the number of American adults and communities who never connect with math, who miss out on the jobs of the future and never contribute to the needs of the country?
What if...
a paradigm-shift claimed it could change most ‘difficult’ topics of Elementary and Middle-School math into much simpler topics and allow just about all students to get a good start?
Would you...
be curious enough to inquire how it could possibly be true?
What if...
a topic considered a major obstacle by 8th grade students could be made so simple that a 7-year-old could master it easily?
Would you...
see it as an example of that
Paradigm Shift
and want to know more?
What if...
home-schooled children unanimously LOVED a book about multiplication facts.
Would you...
spend the price of 2 cups of coffee at Starbucks to offer it to a child, friend, parent or teacher at the earliest opportunity?
What if...
you knew one or more personalities in education, government, industry, sport or media seriously concerned with this nation’s widespread innumeracy?
Would you...
point out to them the
CommonSenseMath.Org
alternative that might answer their concern?
Would you...
consider letting me know that you did by clicking
CONTACT at the top of my
CommonSenseMath.Org
website?
Changing dismal national statistics is a monumental task, one that naturally seems impossible to achieve, even impossible to imagine. But that’s where a
Paradigm Shift comes in. Let’s do it! Thank you.
Books
Teaching to Intuition: Mathmatics
A paradigm shift?
Teaching to Intuition: Mathematics is written for all those who teach math, whether teachers or parents, and for those interested in rethinking math to bring about better results and greater equity. Concrete, practical examples on essential K-8 topics define a new approach to what it means to know math. On traditionally challenging topics that some students never master, the approach helps students discover how easy it really is, and the hurdle just disappears.
One critic comments: “Pretty close to a paradigm shift.”
Making Friends with Numbers
Let Learning Multiplication Facts teach you Math
Reviews (mostly) on Amazon:
“Excellent resource for Learning Multiplication Through Games and Practice. My 8-yo son absolutely LOVED it. He’d complain about all the rest of his school work, but he couldn’t wait to work in this each day. (In fact, I recently overhead him telling his younger sister that he wishes he could do it again!)” – O.A.
“A great supplement to the math we do. My 10 year old son LOVES this book. It’s a great supplement to the math we do and it’s more “fun” than some of the other things.”– Samantha Jacokes
“My daughter has processing issues. She has always struggled with math. She is 12. She recently finished Making Friends with Numbers and loved it. It worked very well for her."
“The best workbook ever created. Really helped my kids get away from skip counting. In only three weeks they have memorized multiplication facts and enjoy doing the sheets.” – Joy
“Teaches proficiency! It’s exactly like description and it gave my son the proficiency to tackle much harder math later with ease!” – Melody Livingston
“A great tool for practice. My daughter and I really enjoyed using this workbook this last school year. It has several creative ways to get to know numbers and their relationships. We will finish it this fall.” – Homeworker
“Very helpful work book. This book gets students thinking about math in a helpful way. It gets kids realizing the connections and patterns that exist. It also is a practice your facts book. It covers multiplication and division. It is simply a very good workbook.” – C. S.
“Great incremental workbook for number literacy. We love the games in this book as it is so much better than just drilling multiplication facts. It helps someone see the relationship with numbers.” – A. Little
“It works! Numbers can be friends. Great alternative practice to drilling multiplication. Truly allowed my child to play with numbers and become friends with them, rather (than) sworn enemies. Much of it is self-checking.”
– C. Gustafson
“This helped us sooo much! This book helped us when the songs and all the other tricks didn’t. We struggled with multiplication tables and this helped tremendously.” – Jennifer I.
“I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your “Making friends with numbers” book. I’m working through it with my 9 year old and it’s been so good for him and for me in teaching him. Are you planning any more books beyond this one? I’d love to continue teaching through your books. Thanks.”
– Jess MacLeod (Sydney, Australia)
An original workbook for students that gradually combines the discovery of patterns and thinking strategies with playful ways of learning, practicing and reviewing multiplication facts. Beyond those facts, it develops number-sense in ways that prepare students for a smooth transition into more advanced math.
Edric Cane says:
As the author of Making Friends with Numbers, I am in awe of what these homeschooling parents say about the real experts on the material: the students themselves. Parents describe students of very different ages and abilities who loved the workbook because they found themselves learning. It seems that it did not only teach them facts; it taught a love of math.
Author Edric Cane
Edric Cane has a PhD from the University of Michigan. He spent two years as a Besse Scholar at Saint Antony’s College (Oxford University, England). He has taught in Europe, in Africa, and at Oberlin College (Ohio) and Occidental College (Los Angeles).
He taught math as a lead teacher in a 95% minority high school
in Los Angeles.
Edric now lives near Sacramento, California. The originality of Teaching to Intuition reflects to some degree the variety of his experiences and interests.
Edric’s YouTube videos show the cover of earlier versions of his books. If ordering, make sure you select the latest edition.
Grow your Brain
This book is no longer available. Its material is being recast as an interactive video. The expectation is that the video will do for addition and subtraction what Making Friends with Numbers does for multiplication facts.
