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Just teach my kid the math

solipsys.co.uk

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Re: Just teach my kid the math

#71

Post by dahart »

empath75 wrote: post #38
credit_guy wrote: post #16

My problem with the "new math" is the lack of volume. Developing a sense for the numbers is best done by working more with numbers; in the "old math" kids had to do thousands of additions in the first and second grade, and developed ten times the sense of numbers compared to kids today. Theory is theory, but practice is practice. Just get over the addition and multiplication, please. That's not where the true math is…

Learning by rote doesn’t teach you anything.

All humans learn their first language by rote. Much more of higher ed is rote learning than you think. If it wasn't rote, we would never have to see examples or practice something, but the majority of what we actually spend our time doing in school is seeing examples and practicing. If there was no rote learning in math, doing long division would be an order of magnitude more painful, and you would always derive your formulas from scratch.

I believe critical thinking is as important as anyone does, but there's no critical thinking without foundational skills and knowledge. Education simply cannot be 100% critical thinking, even if we wanted it do.

"Rote learning is widely used in the mastery of foundational knowledge."

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rote_learning

Re: Just teach my kid the math

#72

Post by DanBC »

noir_lord wrote: post #2

I did A-level maths, I've programmed computers for 30 years since I was a kid. Ive implanted algorithms to calculate solar irradiance varying by orientation, inclination and latitude. I don't understand what my 7yo stepsons maths homework is asking him to do/learn. It's just weird and I'm not sure he always does either, it teaches the how (weirdly) but never the why, I've started teaching him how to understand the pr…

Most teachers are happy if you want to make an appointment to talk to them.

Or the book "Maths for mums and dads" is useful.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maths-Mums-Dads-Mike-Askew/dp/02240...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/More-Maths-Mums-Dads-Askew/dp/02240...

Re: Just teach my kid the math

#73

Post by [deleted] »

boblivion wrote: post #21
ColinWright wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Homework" is supposed to be practising skills they have already learned so they can make it more fluent, and have to concentrate on it less when they come to the next thing to learn. Learning things is done with the teacher there to help anticipate, identify, and correct misconceptions. If you want the parent to help with the homework, the parent will have to know the material they want to help with. In maths, that'…

As someone not from the U.S. I wonder, what does "outdated" mean? Can you give a simple example - e.g. comparison - what would be "math back then" and "math nowadays". Because to me math was always just math especially if it comes to numbers.

[deleted]

Re: Just teach my kid the math

#74

Post by dahart »

credit_guy wrote: post #16

My problem with the "new math" is the lack of volume. Developing a sense for the numbers is best done by working more with numbers; in the "old math" kids had to do thousands of additions in the first and second grade, and developed ten times the sense of numbers compared to kids today. Theory is theory, but practice is practice. Just get over the addition and multiplication, please. That's not where the true math is…

> the "old math" kids had to do thousands of additions in the first and second grade, and developed ten times the sense of numbers compared to kids today.

This must be variation from school to school or state to state. My kids are stuck with more homework than I had when I was a kid. I actually wish they had less homework, they're not getting enough exploratory time during their school days. They also have a better intuitive sense of numbers than I did.

> Just get over the addition and multiplication, please... you won't have time to teach kids logarithms and integrals later.

Generally speaking, I think calculus is being taught earlier now than when I was in grade school. My kids (grades 5&7) are being introduced to some interesting arithmetic concepts that I didn't get when I was a kid that I think will complement higher math.

As a parent, I'm not seeing any issue with lack of volume or of progression toward higher math concepts, FWIW...

Re: Just teach my kid the math

#75

Post by MarkMc »

garmaine wrote: post #47
ColinWright wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And teachers are trying to teach how to make change? No, the "making change" comment is an example of how these techniques of thinking about numbers do turn up in real life. > I understand “anchoring to fives and tens” but I don’t understand why anyone thinks it’s a good way to do anything except confuse kids. It's a part of a broader strategy to talk about the structure of numbers and the operations on them. > Doe…

I’m a parent and I object not because I don’t understand it — it’s not too difficult to pick up — but because it completely misses the why of math. Being able to mentally estimate numbers or do simple arithmetic is a good skill, but having universal algorithms for solving problems and describing the universe is really what math is more about. I can trace my trajectory into computer science all the way back to practic…

> It is the power of the algorithm. My kids are entirely missing that in their common core education...

From the article, "the Common Core State Standards in the U.S. still requires student fluency with these algorithms"

> Being able to mentally estimate numbers or do simple arithmetic is a good skill

It's not just about the ability to estimate or do simple mental arithmetic. Look at this example from the article: "Describe three ways to see why 35 x 12 is 420". Knowledge of these 'three ways' provides a deeper conceptual understanding of multiplication. I want my students to have a shot at deriving the algorithm for multiplication, not just implementing it.

Re: Just teach my kid the math

#76

Post by watwut »

sethammons wrote: post #54
dorchadas wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a math teacher (Algebra II), I think this would be great. The problem is that most of my students won't go home and watch the videos. Either because they can't (lack of internet access, have to work to help support family, etc.) or are just lazy and won't. I've had to quit giving homework, even to the upper level classes, because nobody would do it. They'd just come in the next day and make excuses and have nothin…

As a former inner city math teacher, I feel you. Getting students to do _anything_ outside the classroom was practically impossible. What worked for me for homework for a little while was having the students do 5 push ups for each day they missed homework in a row. I suddenly was getting 90%+ participation on students completing their homework! It was fantastic until someone told the VP, and the VP asked me if I was…

I was at local selective school with students who overall did very well and ... only very few did homework or would watch videos unless it was graded or there was test.

Basically, grades were instead of pushups. We did good overall, but when it comes to homework with no punishment for not being done, people skipped it.

Re: Just teach my kid the math

#77

Post by watwut »

credit_guy wrote: post #49
empath75 wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Learning by rote doesn’t teach you anything.

Are you sure that it doesn't teach you anything? Somehow the students of "old math" were able to put a man on the Moon.

Only a fraction of them. And those of their generation who were that good talked about math as something to be understood rather then memorized.

Re: Just teach my kid the math

#79

Post by sctb »

patja wrote: post #78

I thought Hacker News preferred original source material rather than reblogging. Or is the original source not preferred in this case for some reason, for example being hosted on Medium? Original source: https://medium.com/q-e-d/just-teach-my-kid-the-expletive-mat...

Thanks! We've updated the link from http://www.solipsys.co.uk/new/JustTeachMyChildTheMaths.html.
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