Kaitlyn Ramsey

Number Systems: Integers Math 3351

November 18th, 2015

Professional Journal

(Order of Operations: The Myth and the Math)

3.OA.D.8 Operations & Algebraic Thinking

Solve problems involving the four operations, and identify and explain

patters in arithmetic.
Summary:

In this article the order of operations is discussed. In 3rd grade the

Common Core State Standards for Mathematics begins to teach and show

the order of operations. This concept is used and needed in all the grades

after 3rd grade and into college. The article goes on to prove a few myths and

a few facts about the order of operations. Those myths being; the order of

operations was arbitrarily designed long ago, the order of operations is rigid,

the order of operations is best taught using memory triggers, and the four

operation steps are in the order of operations. The math, or truth, being; the

order of operations can be taught conceptually and the order of operations is

universal. Each of these myths and maths have their own paragraph

explaining the reasoning behind it and gives examples on how it is true or

how it can be made to be true. I like to use the order of operations as a

visual and audio learner myself, it is easy for me to remember PEMDAS and

how to use it. I will explain the reasoning behind this further on. I feel like the

more a teacher understands and can apply a certain subject the easier it will

be to teach the kids this subject and the easier they will actually learn it.

Children can tell when an adult is faking to like a certain subject just to teach

it and that affects their learning abilities. If you dont like something you

arent going to spend enough time teaching it and practicing it, youre going

to want to move on as soon as possible.

Strengths:

The first strength of this article is the section titled The order of

operations can be taught conceptually. This section is about making

connections, so making the math actually apply to a situation. The situation

is a teacher named Ms. G has just read a book to her class, Two of

Everything. This book is about a man who finds a magic pot and that when

something is put in it, it doubles. This is the second time that she has used

the book to apply to what she was teaching, this is a good way for children to

realize that a situation can have several mathematical ways to solve it or to

apply to it. On the bored a problem was written, 8 + 3 x 5 + 7,

then Ms. G said out loud that the man had one stack of eight coins, three

stacks of five coins, and one stack of seven coins. Then the children were

asked how many coins the man had. According to the order of operations the

three stacks of five coins needs to be figured out first, 3 x 5, which is 15.

Then, from left to right, you add. The one stack of eight coins plus the fifth-
8 coins 5 coins 5 coins 5 coins 7 coins
teen coins we just found, which is 23, then the twenty-three we just found

plus the seven, which is 30. This is how the problem should be solved.
 The children understood that you can add 8 + 5 + 5 + 5 +7 and still

get 30 because addition and multiplication go hand in hand. But they also

understood that the problem on the bored meant that there are just three

stacks of five and not a stack of eight, three, five and seven. Being a visual

and audio learner I really like how Ms. G did this. She showed the students

two ways that this problem could be done. First on the bored then out loud

she told them about the stacks of coins. This helps me understand the

concept more.
 The second strength would be the section titled, Four operation steps

are in the order of operations. The order of operations is often listed as,

parenthesis, exponents, multiplication and division and addition and

subtraction. Many students get confused and believe that since

multiplication is listed before division that it is always going to be done

before division which is not always true, and the same confusion is had with

addition and subtraction. However, there is a visual triangle that is

constructed that helps students understand the hierarchy visually. The

triangle resembles the food pyramid in its look. Outside the triangle there is

a phrase stating that parentheses around an operation should be done first.

Then in the top section of the triangle the word exponents is listed. Below

that section the next is called Division and Multiplication (left to right). Below

Parentheses (x) should be Exponen this section the last is called

done first
Addition and Subtraction (left to right).

Division Multiplication (left to

right)

Addition and Subtraction (left to

right)
 To actually see the order of operations placed in the order you apply

them in in a pictorial reference makes the understanding simpler. So for

example, 8 + 1 x 2 6 / 2 (/ standing for division) according to the triangle I

would first do anything with a parentheses around it, there is none. Then I

start with multiplication and division from left to right. In this problem

multiplication is listed first, 1 x 2 which is 2. Then division is listed next, 6 / 2

which is 3. The problem is now 8 + 2 - 3. Then, still following the triangle,

addition and subtraction from left to right is next. So 8 + 2 is next which is

10, then lastly 10 3 which is 7. It doesnt matter when the multiplication,

addition, subtraction or division are listed as long as you follow the triangle

then you will get the right answer.

Weaknesses:

The first weakness in this article is the section titled, The order of

operations is best taught using memory triggers. In this section it is argued

that although memory triggers in solving the order of operations, such as,

Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally and PEMDAS/PEDMAS, are useful

especially to those with learning disabilities this causes a great

misconception in the operations. It is argued that these memory triggers

suggest six steps in the order when there are actually four and that it implies

that you always do multiplication first before division or addition first before

subtraction. I disagree with all of those arguments. As a child I was taught

Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally and PEMDAS/PEDMAS and I still

understood the orders were only four steps and to solve from left to right. I

believe that these memory triggers are just to help students remember all

the steps with a catchy tune. If students do not recognize the fact that in the

problem 45 / 5 x 9 (/ representing division) that 45 / 5 comes first then they

did not actually learn the subject they just remember the catchy tune. The

memory triggers are there for a learning aid. The teacher has to come in and

reinforce the fact that with these memory triggers remember that the order

of multiplication, division and addition and subtraction is to be done from left

to right.
 Another weakness I believe the article had was that he had a lot of

myths but only two math/truths. I would have liked if he article had more

examples or other ways to help students learn the order of operations other

than criticizing the PEMDAS method. Or maybe the author could have

expanded the PEMDAS method and actually have had it visually worked out.

It was hard for me to understand some of their explanations because of the

fact that the work was not worked out visually, just talked about.