> It was very operational, you calculate, you manipulate concrete data
it's interesting that some academic approaches focus on the theoretical framework and conceptual depth, with the underlying assumption that the student would "get" it once the fundamentals are understood.
The other approach, mostly in the asian schools, teach rote and speed in mechanical/mental manipulation. For example, a student would do 1000 quadratic equations, mostly by rote using substitution into the formula. That constitutes "teaching" of the quadratic equation.
But in the end, who learned more? Not sure. But i do believe that being able to manipulate numbers very quickly leads to a quality of its own, and can make understanding harder concepts easier.