{"id":202570,"date":"2020-03-26T17:50:25","date_gmt":"2020-03-26T21:50:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/why-does-saxon-require-so-much-mental-math\/"},"modified":"2025-09-05T07:17:34","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T07:17:34","slug":"why-does-saxon-require-so-much-mental-math","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.nicolethemathlady.com\/why-does-saxon-require-so-much-mental-math\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Does Saxon Require So Much Mental Math?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Mom Brain moments. They happen all the time. Maybe it\u2019s when you\u2019re at the cashier and trying to figure out if the register is putting in your discounts correctly. Maybe it\u2019s when you\u2019re cooking and your measuring spoon is in the dishwasher and you can\u2019t remember how to convert teaspoons to tablespoons. Or perhaps it\u2019s when your kid asks when an important historical moment happened and you struggle to come up with just how long ago that was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The older we get, it seems, the more we struggle with math. Unless we are actively doing math-related work, we get out of practice and start to lose the skills we once had. Or maybe we never really developed them at all. I\u2019ve had those moments too, and it\u2019s one of the reasons <\/a>I appreciate Saxon <\/a>all the more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not everyone does appreciate it, though. I hear from a lot of people who want to know why Saxon requires all that mental math<\/span><\/i> at the beginning of lessons. It\u2019s just busywork, right? After all, we want to get into the REAL learning and check that Math Box off for the day, right?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In short, no. Saxon has some very specific reasons for adding Mental Math into lessons. Here\u2019s what you\u2019ll find in the beginning of Saxon textbooks: \u201cThe first part is a Warm-Up that includes practice of basic facts and mental math. These exercises improve your speed, accuracy, and ability to do math \u201cin your head.\u201d The Warm-Up also includes a problem-solving exercise to familiarize you with strategies for solving complicated problems.\u201d (Hake, 6\/5 3rd Student Edition)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So why does anyone need speed, accuracy, and ability to do math \u201cin your head.\u201d? Well, let\u2019s remember that a major goal of Saxon Math (and my goal as well) is to help form students who are able to do math well, in the real world. John Saxon himself knew a good deal about this–he had three degrees in engineering and served as a combat pilot in the Korean War. He saw in math textbooks \u201creal world\u201d problems that weren\u2019t about the real world at all. The fact is, the math problems most of us encounter in the real world turn out to require mental math.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s go back to those Mom Brain Moments (and let\u2019s be honest, everyone suffers from these, so we can just call this phenomenon Adult Brain). There is a LOT of mental calculating we have to do just to function in life. When we shop, we need to be able to know how much we are taking from a budget category–in our heads, on the fly. When we drive, we need to be able to calculate speed and distance–in our heads, and fast, on the road. We need to be able to calculate area and perimeter, in our head, often, as we plan home improvements. We need to be able to figure out whether we can get Kid A to point B and Kid C back to point D in a certain amount of time, and determine whether it\u2019s possible given time and distance (pretty sure it’s not, but somehow we make it work, right?). And so much more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So that\u2019s why the mental math is in the lessons. And that\u2019s why it matters! We all need this ability and it just doesn\u2019t come without practice. LOTS of practice. Think of how much mental math is involved with time management, cooking, baking, sports, physics, chemistry, budgeting, trip planning, coding, history, driving, shopping, music, and so much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Saxon saw so many of his own students struggle with basic math that can be done mentally that when he started writing textbooks, he built those problems into his lessons. He wanted to make sure his students would be able to do basic level math anytime, anywhere. In the end, a little mental math might be good for all of us. It would save us a great deal of time (and maybe some embarrassing moments, too). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talk to you soon,<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Nicole the Math Lady<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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