THE CONSTITUTION OF ARITHMETICAL ABILITIES
THE ELEMENTARY FUNCTIONS OF ARITHMETICAL LEARNING
It would be a useful work for some one to try to analyze arithmetical learning into the unitary abilities which compose it, showing just what, in detail, the mind has to do in order to be prepared to pass a thorough test on the whole of arithmetic. These unitary abilities would make a very long list. Examination of a well-planned textbook will show that such an ability as multiplication is treated as a composite of the following: knowledge of the multiplications up to 9 × 9; ability to multiply two (or more)-place numbers by 2, 3, and 4 when 'carrying' is not required and no zeros occur in the multiplicand; ability to multiply by 2, 3, ... 9, with carrying; the ability to handle zeros in the multiplicand; the ability to multiply with two-place numbers not ending in zero; the ability to handle zero in the multiplier as last number; the ability to multiply with three (or more)-place numbers not including a zero; the ability to multiply with three- and four-place numbers with zero in second or third, or second and third, as well as in last place; the ability to save time by annexing zeros; and so on and on through a long list of further abilities required to multiply with United States money, decimal fractions, common fractions, mixed numbers, and denominate numbers.
The units or 'steps' thus recognized by careful teaching would make a long list, but it is probable that a still more careful study of arithmetical ability as a hierarchy of mental habits or connections would greatly increase the list. Consider, for example, ordinary column addition. The majority of teachers probably treat this as a simple application of the knowledge of the additions to 9 + 9, plus understanding of 'carrying.' On the contrary there are at least seven processes or minor functions involved in two-place column addition, each of which is psychologically distinct and requires distinct educational treatment.
These are:—
A. Learning to keep one's place in the column as one adds.
B. Learning to keep in mind the result of each addition until the next number is added to it.
C. Learning to add a seen to a thought-of number.
D. Learning to neglect an empty space in the columns.
E. Learning to neglect 0s in the columns.