Error with our number formats

Lesson on something that we all do but could be improved upon.

Some of this sounds weird but stick with me.

       So back in 2000 there was an organization called OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) that started keeping track of student progresses in various educational formats (math science reading etc.)

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      The OECD is basically a forum where different governments around the world can share experiences and can work together to identify and hopefully solve common problems.  Think of the OECD like that person that comes into businesses to identify and help solve problems by using the experiences of other businesses.

      My personal analogy for this would be if the world was a school.  The United Nations is the group that works together to create global rules and does the mediating.  Interpol is the ones who enforce said rules.  Leaving the OECD who is kind of the secretary who keeps track of how everyone in the school is doing and offers help via statistics.

-You might think of the OECD differently then I do but moving on-

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~So there is a organization spying on my children's test scores! I took them out of standardize testing!

       Nope not the same thing  OECD keeps track of things like how many kids are graduating schools,  how many hours are spent on each subject,  how students are doing in the subjects all year round etc.   Here's an example; 

This is an example of OECD's
Programme for International Student Assessment. (or PISA)

~I knew Japan was higher but it can't be that higher!? can it?

Actually yes from 2009-2012 Japan was this much higher in overall scores.  This is however a math blog so I will only be going over why it is most likely that Japan is much higher then the US at math.  It definitely NOT what you are thinking.

~You don't know what I am thinking.....

Okay so what do you think is the reason then?

~Because in Japan, kids spend much more time in class learning about math.

       Actually no.  That isn't it at all.

I know I know more graphs sorry......

But in this graph it shows how many hours US, Germany, and Japan the average 8th grader spends in math / science classes per year.

So its not the teachers not getting enough time to teach kids math.

~So this is a pro common core vs old math comment then?

       Nope. Isn't that either.  It actually has nothing to do with schools or teachers this time.  It has to do with us as parents (and in some cases Preschool providers)  But before you take offend, it's not that you did something "wrong" it is that Japan figured out a much better way.

        So lets go back.... very basic math..... before addition....  what is the first form of math that we teach our kids.  I will give you a hint Elmo loves to sing about his ABC's and _____.

~Wait! How are we teaching our kids to count 123 wrong?

       It isn't about that we taught them wrong.  We were all taught this way.  Not the numbers in terms of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8........  It's more of how think and say these numbers.

~What.....?

       It will all make sense in a moment.  But at least for a while we can stop blaming teachers, parents, schools, governments, etc about this for right now.  We will just blame it on the English language.

        No graph this time hurray!  But go look at these numbers and read them. Both in your head and out loud.  one two three four five six...........  It's safe to say that we all count them the same way because that is how we teach English speaking kids to count numbers.

       What if I was to tell you there was something weird in the way that we (and a bunch of other languages) do when counting that is kind of weird?

~I would say that you were dumb because it sounds fine to me

       Okay so in English we read/write everything left to right. Including numbers.  EXCEPT.... there is one time where we don't..... 11--->19

~How so?

       I'll explain.....  When we see "11"  we read and think of it as ELEVEN. right?  But if we stop to think about this where does that word come from?  when we read numbers shouldn't the numbers be in the word?  like "twenty-one or Fourty-eight".  Where did "eleven" come from?  Well folks we have an amazing thing in our life now called the INTERNET. So I looked it up.

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The word “eleven” is derived from the Old English word “endleofan” (pronounced “end-lih-fen”) which itself comes from the Germanic “ainlif,” a compound word: “ain” means “one” and “lif” was a version of the word “left.”   <-----   I googled

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       So basically we are teaching our kids that BOOM LEFT FIELD! a word that is still basically more German than English.  (granted there is nothing wrong with German)

~Wait.  Does that mean eleven roughly would translate as One left of One?

       Basically...  Which also means as of 2016 we do not actually have an English word for "11"  Just a mispronounced German word that was transferred through old English.

~Okay so 11 and 12 are technically not in English but how is any of this stuff not being read left to right?

       Well after 11 and 12.  We have 13 (thirteen), 14 (fourteen), 15 (fifteen), etc......  But lets think about how we are actually reading them.  All these numbers have a "1" first in line right?  but why do we read it as "FOUR teen" we would technically be reading it as

"4 after 10" Which if you think about this it makes our numbers in this area seem pretty weird.

~Fine! I read the teens places weird. How is that any different in Japan?

       Well my friend.  I have read during my various common core math research about how in Japan they read these numbers differently then us.  However, before reading this I double checked this with my friend Noel.  She has spent time during student exchange programs in Japan as well as she is VERY fluent in Japanese and English.  

*Thanks for the help Noel you are awesome*

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       The way you would say eleven in Japanese would be, "jyu-ichi"... literally translated into "ten one".  (jyu = ten) and (ichi = one)

~So your saying that we should teach our kids to say things like ten-one, ten-two, ten-three?  What next should I stop correcting my preschooler when they say "onety-one"?

       That is exactly what I am saying.  Granted that the idea of saying "ONEty-one" sounds like your just making up numbers BUT how is that any different then "FOURty-two".  The first one sounds made up but the second one is perfectly acceptable even though they are the same format of reading the numbers.  Long story short here is that we have been inconsistent with the format of how we read numbers.  Leading to a rocky foundation to build our math skills on.

This of course continues the same way into larger numbers. 

"ni-jyu-ichi"--->"two ten one" (21)... 

"ni-hyaku-ni-jyu-ichi" is "two hundred two ten one" (221).

etc....etc.....etc....... 

So think about the way these numbers sound.  "two ten one" vs "twenty one"....

~I don't hear that much difference.  It does kind of make sense here.

       Now if instead of reading the "2" in 21 as a "two" vs "twen" 

(I am too lazy to bother looking up where "twen" came from)

"twen-ty"  Or as it more closely sounds as "twen-T"

(Why can't we just make it easier on ourselves and keep it as the number it truly is. )

"two-ty"  Or as this more closely sounds as "two-T"

So the T sound that is prominent is kind of like a shortened mark stating that its in the TENS space.......get it......T........TEN.

We already do it for all other areas in the tens place.

(twenT)(thirT)(fourT)(fifT)(sixT)(sevenT)(eightT)(nineT)

~5 of these wouldn't even change then?

Exactly!  Only the 3 out of this list would be effected by changing its weird nickname

(twenT = twoT) (thirT = threeT) (fifT = fiveT)

~So this change would benefit us all how? And what about larger numbers? do they have to change?

      By creating a level of consistency.  All our numbers would then follow the exact same format.

       And no. All our other numbers are already in the same format as Japan.

 examples; 

3672 (read it out loud and in your head without using the word "and")

 Three thousand six hundred seventy two

(Three thousand) (six hundred) (seven T) (2) <----English

(Three thousand) (six hundred) (seven ten) (2)<---Japanese

Basically the same here.

3619 (read it out loud and in your head without using the word "and")

  Three thousand six hundred nineteen

(three thousand) (six hundred) (nine-teen)<--------English (but we read as "3-6-9-1")

(three thousand) (six hundred) (ten) (one)<---------Japanese           (read as "3-6-1-9")

~OH SNAP.  I taught my kid to count while trying to keep track of format changes.

       Don't worry I also did this same thing to my son and had no idea!

       Basically what I am trying to say here is when we start having kids do math problems with numbers.  Their little brains see the numbers as 19x6.  But what they are reading it as would look like this --> (9-1)x6.  As kids develop it gets easier to translate the numbers between how their written vs read. So how we are reading them as adults we don't even see it as a problem.

       I have been reteaching my son to count as onety one, onety two, etc.  He is 6, found it fun to count it a different way but was concerned that he would get in trouble at school for counting it that way.  I simply told him that this way creates a better foundation for learning and that I would handle any confusions with his teachers.  So if you agree that this new format makes sense and you teach your children this way.  Feel free to save this blog entry and show it to any confused: other parents, grandparents, teachers, principles, confused lady on the bus, etc........

       Because if you were to hear cashier say "that will come to two dollars and onety one cents" or "two dollars and one ten one cents" before you read this blog.  You could probably have understood what they were saying. (probably would have thought they were messing with you at first but you would have figured it out.) <---- This theory was tested.