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2+2=What? Parents rail against Common Core math

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Re: 2+2=What? Parents rail against Common Core math

#11

Post by hga »

icolor wrote: post #5
hga wrote: post #4

Without reading the fine article except for searching for "calculus", I'll note that I've confirmed an accusation at the other end: the Common Core does not even reach precalculus by the end of high school. No student in a school solely based on it will be taking AP Calculus, let alone be able to attend MIT or Caltech (the former requires you to be ready to learn the calculus, the latter demands you've already learne…

Article only mentions that learning to teach the common core addition/division/multiplication/subtraction is as difficult as 'learning' calculus. I'm sure that the current common core level for math ends around Trigonometry.

You might, like I did, check out the online sources on this, from reports on a professor who was one of the drafters admitting it, to the official curriculum. It's enlightening.

Re: 2+2=What? Parents rail against Common Core math

#13

Post by NateDad »

The parents rail against the new style of teaching because they were taught with the old style and never properly comprehended math other than by rote memorization. This is exactly the problem the new methods are trying to fix. I bet most people on HN are math-minded enough that they could pick up the new ways of doing things and actually understand how it is teaching total comprehension rather than just being able to get the right answer with no idea of why it's the right answer.

Re: 2+2=What? Parents rail against Common Core math

#14

Post by hga »

tptacek wrote: post #9
hga wrote: post #4

Without reading the fine article except for searching for "calculus", I'll note that I've confirmed an accusation at the other end: the Common Core does not even reach precalculus by the end of high school. No student in a school solely based on it will be taking AP Calculus, let alone be able to attend MIT or Caltech (the former requires you to be ready to learn the calculus, the latter demands you've already learne…

The idea that Common Core prevents students from taking calculus is disputed: http://www.mindingthecampus.com/originals/2014/04/a_sorry_at... Further, a citation to Caltech's admission policy would be handy; I found sources directly disputing your claim (also in the context of Common Core), citing Caltech Math1a to rebut it.

Their Math1a uses Apostol as its textbook (http://www.math.caltech.edu/~2013-14/1term/ma001a/#text).

This is the classic proofs based text, in other schools what's commonly used for "honors calculus", including MIT but not with such a name. I suppose in theory a really mathematically adept student could start with it, but that's not what I remember any school I've looked into, including CalTech, requiring before you start it.

The link you cited is just an attack on a particular contention; it's entirely unrelated to my examination of it, except second hand reports of it (some of the phases quoted are familiar) probably in part prompted mine.

Re: 2+2=What? Parents rail against Common Core math

#16

Post by coldcode »

Funny how today's leaders in math and programming all learned basic math the old fashioned way; now it's not good enough. Yet no one preaches teaching kids economics, basic taxation and interest rates, and how investing works. So we wind up with people who know math but get fooled by politicians and scammers.

Re: 2+2=What? Parents rail against Common Core math

#17

Post by hga »

bovermyer wrote: post #6

I'd never heard of this before, but looking up some of the controversy, I found this article: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2014/03/07/abou... It actually makes some sense. I'm still skeptical, but it's sounding like it's just a significant departure from the rote memorization methods I grew up with.

If you don't learn your math tables by rote memorization, how are you ever going to be adept at algebra or anything based on it?

If you can't just look at something like 2x = 4y and instantly simply it....

Re: 2+2=What? Parents rail against Common Core math

#18

Post by ollysb »

bovermyer wrote: post #6

I'd never heard of this before, but looking up some of the controversy, I found this article: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2014/03/07/abou... It actually makes some sense. I'm still skeptical, but it's sounding like it's just a significant departure from the rote memorization methods I grew up with.

The idea seems to be that they're teaching children to maths in their head rather than needing a piece of paper to work it out. The example is extremely odd though, I can't imagine why you would go through that process in your head. I'd probably do something like:

    12 = 2 + 10
    32 - 2 = 30 
    30 - 10 = 20

Re: 2+2=What? Parents rail against Common Core math

#20

Post by syvlo »

There was this really great documentary talking about the way kids should learn math (and also how useful maths are in today's society): http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1etsod_how-i-came-to-hate-...

I don't know if there is an english version of the whole documentary, but if there is, I strongly recommend it (plus, there are strong contributions by Villani who won Fields medal).

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