Making Connections with Estimation

During a recent visit to a sixthgrade classroom, students were observed estimating the sums of columns of multidigit numbers by first painstakingly computing the exact sum of each column of numbers on paper, then rounding the answers to obtain estimates. Apparently the students were not bothered by the fact that it didn't make much sense to round the numbers after already finding an exact sum. Furthermore, they seemed unaware that the power of estimming lies in the speed with which a person can obtain an amount that is close enough for the purpose at hand. Instead. estimation had been turned into a cumbersome process intended, at most, to satisfy the direction on a worksheet.