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What's up with this new math

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I remember seeing something once about Japanese kids who spent a lot of time using an abacus for math competitions. Eventually they got to where they could use a mental abacus. I thought that seemed exceedingly useful if you can make it work. Anyone know anything about that?
 
OCGuy said:
You must be posting from 1955, because cashiers don't do that kind of math.

However, give them $22.03 for that meal, and watch the sheer panic/confusion.
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I do that all the time when I pay cash, actually I'm usually paying cash to get rid of small bills/change.

For a bill of $6.53, I would probably give them a 10, 1 and .55. 😀

After I enjoy their panic/confusion I just tell them to punch it into the register, then I get to see it all again as they realize what just happened!
 
dave_the_nerd said:
OIC.

Yeah, we just use those stupid counting blocks.

Maybe they'll start the common core stuff next year. That'll be fun.
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My kid is taking algebra and I help with it.
"That's not the way the teacher did it."
Well, do you understand how the teacher did it?
"No."
Do you understand the way I did it.
"Yes."
You now have the tools to do it and you had better make an A.

The thing that really gripes me is estimations...WTH? Just do the math. I understand that they might find it useful but he has had some for 3 years.
 
highland145 said:
My kid is taking algebra and I help with it.
"That's not the way the teacher did it."
Well, do you understand how the teacher did it?
"No."
Do you understand the way I did it.
"Yes."
You now have the tools to do it and you had better make an A.

The thing that really gripes me is estimations...WTH? Just do the math. I understand that they might find it useful but he has had some for 3 years.
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Yeah he's not going to get an A without showing the long-winded common-core work. It'll just be marked incorrect. In reality, most teachers are just as frustrated but they must adhere to it until told otherwise. Teachers are also being evaluated by how well the kids do with this.

Apparently we're trying to catch up to the education levels of Europe & the East.

http://asiasociety.org/education/learning-world/global-roots-common-core-state-standards
 
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Showed this post to a friend who is a School Teacher. He assures there is no "new way" and the old way is still the way math is taught. This is simply an alternate way.
 
I get what they are trying to do, but in this case doesn't it make way more sense to count by tens?

I'm at 12, add 10, now I'm at 22, add 10 again, now I'm at 32, which also happens to be my destination. I added 10 twice, therefore... 20.
 
rh71 said:
Yeah he's not going to get an A without showing the long-winded common-core work. It'll just be marked incorrect. In reality, most teachers are just as frustrated but they must adhere to it until told otherwise.
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Nope. Private school, ftw, and it's not that the teacher's way is more difficult. It's just coming at the problem from another angle to get the same answer. And trying to get him to "think" about the problem.

Last test: Right triangle, a=30, b=85 c=? 60 is not the right answer and if he had thought for 2 seconds, he wouldn't have missed it.

Oh well, electronic reduction is still in effect during the week.🙂
 
Rudee said:
Showed this post to a friend who is a School Teacher. He assures there is no "new way" and the old way is still the way math is taught. This is simply an alternate way.
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What state? This has been adopted by 45 states and DC.

Train said:
I get what they are trying to do, but in this case doesn't it make way more sense to count by tens?

I'm at 12, add 10, now I'm at 22, add 10 again, now I'm at 32, which also happens to be my destination. I added 10 twice, therefore... 20.
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yes there's more than 1 way to arrive at the answer... the point of the exercise is to get you to think about methods to get there. Practical applications... like when people engineer something.
 
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child of wonder said:
Don't fix what isn't broken.
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Uh, the US ranks where in the 1st world for mathematics education?? Yes, it's broken. I tend to believe that the picture in the OP is an exaggeration on this theme:

What's 179 minus 48?

179 minus 50 is 129
Plus 2 = 131

The common core is a hell of a lot better than what had been in place. Unfortunately, and as alluded to above, the problem is in the implementation of the common core, as well as the privatization of it. I don't know about other states, but in NY, Pearson seems to be making a fortune off this, while turning out absolute crap.
 
I enjoy math for math's sake.

Checking 7th grade math from a traditional book = fun

Checking 5th grade math from a common core book = head hurts.
Common core is so....wordy. Numbers are beautiful because of their simplicity. While common core may help some of those creative types, it seems to be a disservice to the analytical types.
 
Once my future child learns basic math theory and practical application, I will not allow the precious few years where their brain is a sponge to be filled with hours of useless math repetition, unless they choose it.

Oh how I wish I was being taught Russian or Chinese instead of proving to the world that I hadn't forgotten how to add, subtract, multiply, or divide, two days after I had already completed a 100 problem assignment.
 
DrPizza said:
Uh, the US ranks where in the 1st world for mathematics education?? Yes, it's broken. I tend to believe that the picture in the OP is an exaggeration on this theme:

What's 179 minus 48?

179 minus 50 is 129
Plus 2 = 131

The common core is a hell of a lot better than what had been in place. Unfortunately, and as alluded to above, the problem is in the implementation of the common core, as well as the privatization of it. I don't know about other states, but in NY, Pearson seems to be making a fortune off this, while turning out absolute crap.
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Are other countries ranked above the US because they have "more cute" curriculums? Or because Administrators, parents and kids in other countries care to spend more time practicing standard math?
 
OCGuy said:
Once my future child learns basic math theory and practical application, I will not allow the precious few years where their brain is a sponge to be filled with hours of useless math repetition, unless they choose it.

Oh how I wish I was being taught Russian or Chinese instead of proving to the world that I hadn't forgotten how to add, subtract, multiply, or divide, two days after I had already completed a 100 problem assignment.
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^ you'll be glad to know they are learning 2nd languages and even sign language starting at young ages now. I only started French in high school. I hear of it in 5th/6th grade now with a lot more options like Mandarin and Russian. My kids started sign language in pre-K. This new math is on top of everything else too.
 
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My cousin's kids are being taught this new way with sticks and dashes or some shit. I saw it on the board last time I was there and it was literally a Picard Meme "What the fuck is this shit" moment.
 
DrPizza said:
Uh, the US ranks where in the 1st world for mathematics education?? Yes, it's broken. I tend to believe that the picture in the OP is an exaggeration on this theme:

What's 179 minus 48?

179 minus 50 is 129
Plus 2 = 131

The common core is a hell of a lot better than what had been in place. Unfortunately, and as alluded to above, the problem is in the implementation of the common core, as well as the privatization of it. I don't know about other states, but in NY, Pearson seems to be making a fortune off this, while turning out absolute crap.
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Yes, I CLEARLY meant the ENTIRE United States mathematics educational curriculum.

The simple 3-1 in the 10s position and 2-2 in the 1s position works fine. Using your methodology is also good and is one I employ often and teach to my children.

We don't need to make the problem MORE complicated that it already is, hence, don't fix what isn't broken.
 
rh71 said:
^ you'll be glad to know they are learning 2nd languages and even sign language starting at young ages now. I only started French in high school. I hear of it in 5th/6th grade now with a lot more options like Mandarin and Russian. My kids started sign language in pre-K. This new math is on top of everything else too.
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That is great to hear.
 
Meh....does it work? If "new math" is resulting in better math skills down the road, then by all means teach it.

Sure, it's weird to me, but that's because I learned the old way and now my brain is stuck that way.

I remember reading something about how a bunch of teachers were "taught" to do math operations in base 4 or something, and they were getting super frustrated because they had never dealt with it before...well, that's how your students feel about base 10.

Again, if the evidence is that this way is better, then I have no problem with it. I certainly use somewhat-similar rounding tricks in my own mental math, and "counting up" has long been a way to reduce mistakes for cashiers.
 
I've pretty much always done it this way when doing math in my head. It's much faster and easier. Especially if you are doing numbers on the fly for construction or something. You don't always (or never) want to have to pull out pen and paper or a calculator.
 
The best was when my 5th grade child was part of an experimental Singapore Math curriculum a few years back.

There's nothing quite like solving a problem the "old fashioned" way but the worksheet doesn't allow for that method and despite arriving at the correct answer, the teacher still marks the child wrong, hence, implicating the parent as wrong as well, thus your child loses faith in YOUR ABILITY to do math.

I asked at the first parent teacher conference if they had a parent's guide to this stuff so I could try to support the curriculum and I was told to get on Google and search for it.

One night I showed my daughter to how solve a problem using multiple variables and some "old school" algebra. Sure enough, the next day it was marked wrong, even though my child now understood even more advanced math.
 
SlowSpyder said:
My second grader brings home some math homework that is completely unfamiliar to me from time to time. D:
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same here, when my son was in the 2nd grade he brought home some math shit i had never seen before or knew what the fuck it was, my google-Foo came up with nothing. It was counting with rods, cones and something else... I felt like such a tool making a thread on here asking for help with 2nd grade math. somebody's wife who was a teacher PM'ed me explaining what the hell it was. My son is in the 10th grade now, im going to ask him if he remembers that.
 
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I've never seen what's in the OP post but some of the techniques I've seen schools teach my kids were just......weird and more confusing than the "old fashion" way.
 
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