I whole-heartedly disagree with this. A.) For the obvious not everyone learns the same way B.)Drills and practice are important, but being able to actually ap

I whole-heartedly disagree with this. A.) For the obvious not everyone learns the same way B.)Drills and practice are important, but being able to actually apply your math skills is also important. I remember in high school when there were math word problems so many people HATED them. These were people in honors/college level classes and they struggled to actually apply the math to situations. Find how fast the train is moving, how long the ladder is, and Geometry proofs all made many of them get confused. They didn't understand the point of the math they knew. Personally, I got SO bored with drills/memorization. And personally for me, that if that's the -only- method of learning used it's awful for long term retention. The math skills that I've retained the longest were taught in several different ways-- a mix of drills/practice, visualization, mixing it with other types of problems so that I could see how the puzzle pieces fit together, etc. I understand the point of what I'm doing, it's not just some abstracted concept that I happened to write 50 times. I agree that past a certain point you'll have to accept abstraction, but especially in early years up until probably Algebra, it's a useful skill to be able to use math in the real world. Seriously, I've met so many people who can't calculate a tip, understand fractions enough for simple cooking, do their budgeting, or begin to understand economics and taxes enough to be even decently informed citizens.