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Here's a link to the full paper, colloquially known as Lockhart's Lament:

Link: https://www.maa.org/external_archive/devlin/LockhartsLament.pdf

In the context of K-8 learning materials that take into account the concerns discussed in Paul Lockhart's essay A Mathematician's Lament, I wonder if anyone knows of syllabi, curricula, or worksheets that I can use to supplement my child's "Core" program in school, and what experiences (if any) others have with using said materials.

Benjamin Dickman
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rbp
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    If you want to supplement your child's program, let her play games. The type of learning described there is an exploratory process, and rather than trying to re-teach your child his school curriculum "in a different way", just play games and do puzzles with him. Tangram, Go/gomuku, connect-four, 2048. But don't teach her how to play. Let her discover the tricks herself. – Willie Wong Sep 29 '14 at 14:51
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    @WillieWong any thoughts on the Dover Tangram book? – rbp Sep 29 '14 at 14:57
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    On that I cannot give you better advice than random reviewers on Amazon.com. Also, there are at least two different Tangram books published by Dover. If you allow your little one to use a tablet or a smartphone, there are also several free Tangram apps, FWIW. – Willie Wong Sep 29 '14 at 15:13

1 Answers1

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In A Mathematician's Lament, Paul Lockhart describes what is wrong with math education in schools. To get a good idea of how he would do things differently, you should read his book titled Measurement. The ideas in it are for slightly older students, but the approach is what you're looking for.

I recommend that you try to work through Measurement yourself, and see what questions pop up for you that you can share with your child. If you are comfortable with math yourself, you might want to start a math circle. If you are not that comfortable, and you live close to one, check out a Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival.

You might also find my book, Playing with Math: Stories from Math Circles, Homeschoolers, and Passionate Teachers, useful. It should be out in November.

Benjamin Dickman
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Sue VanHattum
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