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.
You don't "need" long multiplication in practice but you need to learn how to make it work before you can employ other strategies. If you look at the decline in math scores in takes a steep dive after they stopped making mastery of it a focus.
And yes. Stats and probability is taught starting in 6th. And it's ridiculous.
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.
You don't "need" long multiplication in practice but you need to learn how to make it work before you can employ other strategies. If you look at the decline in math scores in takes a steep dive after they stopped making mastery of it a focus.
And yes. Stats and probability is taught starting in 6th. And it's ridiculous.