Let me break it down as a SPED teacher for a decade.
"common core" math is based a lot around the mental short cuts people really good with math use in higher level math. But they're ways of approaching math that you use AFTER you become very good at mastering the algorithmic basics.
You don't teach this shit first.
You make them master the basic algorithms first. And if they have a knack for math, they will develop some of these in their own.
This is all done under the idiotic assumption that "people good with math do math this way, so well yeah it this way." Same dumbass assumption of good writers write a lot. So we'll have kids write slot to be good writers.
My niece who is in 4th grade was showing me her math homework . A long division problem that did not have a remainder. I was able to look at it and determine that answer pretty easily. She showed me the amount of work she is required to do to solve that problem and I was floored. Not even kidding when I say a problem like 425/5 took her 2 pages to complete because that's how common core wants her to do it.
As an adult if you asked me to multiply 257 by 3 in my head I'd think ok 200x3 = 600, 50x2= 150, 7x3 = 21 add together = 771
Or 250x3=750 + 7x3=21=771
They want kids to do this instead of learning and mastering the standard algorithm 1st. At face value it's not a bad thing from an adult perspective until you delve into the asinine and arbitrary ways CC wants the kids to go about it. Like thinking in terms of how many 10s are in each of these etc etc
It's all an exercise in cart before the horse. Teach the algorithm first. Master that and then work on teaching the mental short cuts later.
Don't even get me started in teaching what used to be 8th grade topics in 5th and 4th. Kids brains aren't capable of true abstract thinking until at least 11yo and yet here we are trying to foist abstract concepts like algebra in them as young as 3rd and 4th.
As a high school student who just graduated near the top of their class, I can confirm this. Math is no longer about reasoning and critical thinking; it's about memorizing algorithms.
"Here are the problems which will be on the test, just with different numbers. Memorize algorithmically how to solve each one."
Students are given lists of formulas without an intuitive explanation for WHY they work. Naturally, the kids at the top of their class are best at "going through the system" and memorizing everything their teachers tell them. In reality, they're clueless without the system telling them precisely what they need to know.
I find these kids completely intolerable. They can't think for themselves and believe all the leftist garbage their history/english teachers tell them.
algorithmic knowledge is becoming less and less important as computers take over in that area.
The one thing humans have which computers don't is the ability to creatively and intuitively think and CREATE solutions. You can't write a program using brute memorization.
Learning algorithms is only useful nowadays as an example for how other algorithms and solutions can be created. Who needs to memorize the quadratic formula if you can just look it up online in 5 seconds? The only reason learning the quadratic formula could be useful is if you learn the intuition behind it and use that intuition to create your own algorithms and formulas.
Our education system isn't moving toward this direction. It's moving in the complete opposite direction.
Yep. Because the methodology is purposefully non intuitive to further dumb down our kids.
Bingo.
Let me break it down as a SPED teacher for a decade.
"common core" math is based a lot around the mental short cuts people really good with math use in higher level math. But they're ways of approaching math that you use AFTER you become very good at mastering the algorithmic basics.
You don't teach this shit first.
You make them master the basic algorithms first. And if they have a knack for math, they will develop some of these in their own.
This is all done under the idiotic assumption that "people good with math do math this way, so well yeah it this way." Same dumbass assumption of good writers write a lot. So we'll have kids write slot to be good writers.
My niece who is in 4th grade was showing me her math homework . A long division problem that did not have a remainder. I was able to look at it and determine that answer pretty easily. She showed me the amount of work she is required to do to solve that problem and I was floored. Not even kidding when I say a problem like 425/5 took her 2 pages to complete because that's how common core wants her to do it.
And yet I determined the answer was 85 without removing my eyes from your comment.
Damn. Doesn't sound like there's any shortcut involved.
Yep it's retarded
How could anyone think this was a good idea. Oh right, they didn't.
You're correct.
Easiet example. Partial products or quotients.
As an adult if you asked me to multiply 257 by 3 in my head I'd think ok 200x3 = 600, 50x2= 150, 7x3 = 21 add together = 771
Or 250x3=750 + 7x3=21=771
They want kids to do this instead of learning and mastering the standard algorithm 1st. At face value it's not a bad thing from an adult perspective until you delve into the asinine and arbitrary ways CC wants the kids to go about it. Like thinking in terms of how many 10s are in each of these etc etc
It's all an exercise in cart before the horse. Teach the algorithm first. Master that and then work on teaching the mental short cuts later.
Don't even get me started in teaching what used to be 8th grade topics in 5th and 4th. Kids brains aren't capable of true abstract thinking until at least 11yo and yet here we are trying to foist abstract concepts like algebra in them as young as 3rd and 4th.
As a high school student who just graduated near the top of their class, I can confirm this. Math is no longer about reasoning and critical thinking; it's about memorizing algorithms.
"Here are the problems which will be on the test, just with different numbers. Memorize algorithmically how to solve each one."
Students are given lists of formulas without an intuitive explanation for WHY they work. Naturally, the kids at the top of their class are best at "going through the system" and memorizing everything their teachers tell them. In reality, they're clueless without the system telling them precisely what they need to know.
I find these kids completely intolerable. They can't think for themselves and believe all the leftist garbage their history/english teachers tell them.
algorithmic knowledge is becoming less and less important as computers take over in that area.
The one thing humans have which computers don't is the ability to creatively and intuitively think and CREATE solutions. You can't write a program using brute memorization.
Learning algorithms is only useful nowadays as an example for how other algorithms and solutions can be created. Who needs to memorize the quadratic formula if you can just look it up online in 5 seconds? The only reason learning the quadratic formula could be useful is if you learn the intuition behind it and use that intuition to create your own algorithms and formulas.
Our education system isn't moving toward this direction. It's moving in the complete opposite direction.