The four operations on whole numbers, taught Thomson's way — one new difficulty at a time, mental before slate, every answer proved, and every General Rule stated by the student before it is stated by the book.
Module 2
The Four Operations
Led by James B. Thomson Simulacrum
The question
Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of whole
Outcome
The student can perform addition, subtraction, multiplication and
Sub-units
○2.1Addition: The Combination of Digits
○2.2Addition: Columns, and the Single New Difficulty of Carrying
○2.3Subtraction, and the Second New Difficulty
○2.4Drill in Rapid Combinations
○2.5Multiplication as Shortened Addition
○2.6Multiplication: Multi-Figure Multipliers and Partial Products
○2.7Division: The Two Objects
○2.8Short Division
○2.9Long Division
○2.10Review, Selection, and Analysis
Practice scenarios
The Boy Who Is Fast and Wrong
A pupil computes faster than anyone in your class and gets roughly one
answer in five wrong. He cannot tell you why any of his methods work. Asked to
prove an answer, he re-does the same operation the same way, gets the same
result, and considers it proved. His parents are pleased with him. He is
thirteen, and he is about to meet fractions.
Your goals
Determine by questioning, not marking, whether the fault is in the tables, the
arrangement, or the proof
Show him that re-doing is not proving, using a case where his method produces
the same wrong answer twice
Take his speed down deliberately, and justify it to a boy who experiences it
as a demotion
Predict what specifically will happen to him in Module 4, and why
Choose one difficulty to work on first — and only one
Course complete
You have completed every module of this course. You may now print your certificate of completion.
