Private University or Trade school?

[Jmustang1968]

As a person who has done a ton of math in school (electrical engineer) I find the common core math horribly and unnecessarily convoluted. I dread when my daughter starts going to school and has to deal with that crap.

[MrPopo]

I say we bring back New Math.

[flex wood]

I say we bring back New Math.

I don't get it? That's how I was taught subtraction and I'm 29 (the new math way). How is that difficult to understand?

[marurun]

Knowing something about the politics of the group that puts this together I've had my suspicions about its veracity, but haven't looked into it much…can you confirm that CC Math isn't this insane?

Common Core doesn't prohibit math teachers from still teaching traditional calculations. But it also requires they teach alternative calculation methods, like those featured in the video, which, by the way, actually make sense to me. I do a form of that on some calculations. It is teaching students to break down larger numbers in to smaller groups that are easier to work with. If students can easily group numbers into 5s, 10s, and whatnot, they can easily break down much larger and more difficult math problems. This is often referred to as number sense. When I'm adding large numbers in my head I will often break things down. I also do that when rolling large numbers of dice in various tabletop games. I'll actually quickly divide the dice on the table into groups so that I can count more easily and more quickly.

So no, the method in the video isn't the primary or only method students are being taught to do math. But it is a method being taught to them.

As a person who has done a ton of math in school (electrical engineer) I find the common core math horribly and unnecessarily convoluted. I dread when my daughter starts going to school and has to deal with that crap.

It is convoluted to you because you already have a mental model and tool set for dealing with numbers and math. Your daughter will still be learning all the traditional ways to do math. But she'll also learn this way as a supplemental method. It isn't expected that in high school and college she will use these supplemental techniques as her main method of doing math, but by teaching these different modalities while students are young, the idea is that students will internalize additional relationships between numbers and have a better and more robust understanding of how math works at its core, and so will be able to learn more advanced techniques more easily.

They did a big round table on the local NPR station (we have a decent sided production studio around here that does a good bit of original programming). They had some proponents and detractors and, quite frankly, the detractors were mostly opposing it from an administrative/implementation perspective rather than an effectiveness perspective. Well, except for some of the callers (pro and con), who could be pretty clueless.

That said, the Common Core standards actually aren't really all that great. They're just better than most states have as their own base standards. So while I would prefer better, most states are actually far worse, and I'm all for a step up.

[marurun]

Here's an FAQ on Common Core from NPR. It seems fairly balanced. It addresses pros and cons fairly well. Worth a read.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2014/05/27/ ... n-core-faq

For a total of, like, 3 states, Common Core is a step backwards. For 33 states, it is a marked improvement in standards. So clearly there is more work to be done.

[ZeroAX]

WTF is this shit?

[JsGameRoom]

Common Core doesn't prohibit math teachers from still teaching traditional calculations. But it also requires they teach alternative calculation methods, .

Simple question.

Why?

What was wrong with the way we've been doing it?

[marurun]

Common Core doesn't prohibit math teachers from still teaching traditional calculations. But it also requires they teach alternative calculation methods, .

Simple question.

Why?

What was wrong with the way we've been doing it?

US math standards are highly inadequate in many states (at least 33, to be exact). They way we've been doing it all along in those states left many students in a lurch. None of these alternate techniques are really all that new. They've been used on and off in individual classrooms for years, even decades in some cases. By providing alternate instruction methods, they can hopefully reach students for whom the "traditional" method fails. There's also nothing wrong with learning more than one way to do something. It can only improve the way things work. If classrooms consistently teach only one method, students who don't respond well to that method just get stuck and fail. And students who do fine with the old method will still do fine, and they might pick up a couple new tricks, too.

[Jagosaurus]

In addition to my last post...

I have a unique view on this as my mom went to college (a public state school) & my dad went to trade school (he is a master stone mason & uses his trade in commercial brick settings).

My mom works much more 9-5 in the medical field.

My dad works for an engineering firm & oversees commercial fire brick jobs....while I was growing up he worked crazy hours & put in a lot of hard work over 25 years to get where he is within the company. Now he is off his tools & solely managing projects. The engineers who come in with a degree have a much different path through the ranks.... My dad saw this & always told me he worked hard to send me to college so I didn't have to work his hours.

I grew up in house with both parents with occupations from both sides. You can make a good living in either. Typically two very different lifestyles & environments.

Society needs both sides as well.

.... on a related note, it's always blown my mind when ppl a get 4 year liberal arts degree in philosophical studies of womens' thoughts & are surprised when it's tough to find a job after graduation. Anyone reading this thread who is actually considering college... research degrees & job placement ratios.

[SoltanGris]

In addition to my last post...

I have a unique view on this as my mom went to college (a public state school) & my dad went to trade school (he is a master stone mason & uses his trade in commercial brick settings).

My mom works much more 9-5 in the medical field.

My dad works for an engineering firm & oversees commercial fire brick jobs....while I was growing up he worked crazy hours & put in a lot of hard work over 25 years to get where he is within the company. Now he is off his tools & solely managing projects. The engineers who come in with a degree have a much different path through the ranks.... My dad saw this & always told me he worked hard to send me to college so I didn't have to work his hours.

I grew up in house with both parents with occupations from both sides. You can make a good living in either. Typically two very different lifestyles & environments.

Society needs both sides as well.

.... on a related note, it's always blown my mind when ppl a get 4 year liberal arts degree in philosophical studies of womens' thoughts & are surprised when it's tough to find a job after graduation. Anyone reading this thread who is actually considering college... research degrees & job placement ratios.

Great post. It really goes beyond just money and benefits. Different lifestyles, work environments, travel time, expectations. So many considerations. I got lucky being good with computers and coming out of college with a computer science degree in 1996. Didn't have much fear that I chose wrong. I feel for people entering the jobs market these days.