Reply to Why are people so upset about Common Core?

Forum Index » Schools and Education General Discussion

Reply to "Why are people so upset about Common Core?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
It isn't good.  It isn't even logical or age appropriate.

For example, a 4th grade math question this year:   "1/3 plus 1/3 equals what?   Explain why?"    "Explain why" in this situation is such an esoteric question (especially for 4th graders), that it is illogical for it to be part of the math curriculum.  At this age, many kids don't have the command of language to explain in detail "why" this is the case.  In fact, when asked, the teacher couldn't explain "why" and told us that under 2.0 there isn't really a right answer to this "why" question(!!).  That is more of a mind-game for these kids than an educational exercise.  [/quote]

Because if you have one third, and then you add another third, you have two thirds.

What's esoteric, illogical, and age-inappropriate about that?[/quote]

What's funny about this is that your answer (which seem so logical, I agree) is WRONG.  That was the only answer that wasn't allowed (well, that and well b/c 1/3 plus 1/3 just is 2/3).  Your answer is exactly what we went in to discuss with the teacher.  The fact that it isn't considered right IS the problem.  Under 2.0, the claim that your answer doesn't "go deep enough" and doesn't "go farther."  When we asked the teacher how she would go deeper/farther and what her answer would be and she couldn't answer.  THAT'S WHY IT IS ESOTERIC, ILLOGICAL AND AGE-INAPPROPRIATE!   BTW, the caps are just frustration at 2.0, not at your answer:)[/quote]

I wasn't there either, but PP, your answer doesn't add anything to the numerical answer.  I do think it's a silly question.  The equation IS the sentence.  I feel like this approach to math is geared at (and maybe designed by) math-phobics.  Why do you need to put it into words?  Are pluses and equal signs so scary?  We know what they mean.  Turning the "plus" into an "and" and the equals sign into an "is" doesn't increase understanding.[/quote]

I'm the pp you're quoting and I realize that a couple of typos made my post a bit confusing.  It's not that the teacher wants to translate + and= into the words "plus" and "is."  Not sure if that's what you thought I was saying or not, but wanted to clarify that.

That said, I agree with your point: that the symbols of math ARE the language of math.  As such the description of an equation IS the written equation.

My DH and I both went to the teacher to discuss this particular issue.  Full disclosure, I have been disappointed/upset by 2.0 from the beginning and have done my share of venting about it to my DH.  He's more "hands-off" and trusting of the system than I am, so he assumed that my venting/ranting about 2.0 must be exaggerated, etc. :D   Well, after our meeting, and listening to a teacher tell us that there really wasn't an answer to the "why" portion of the question (then proceeded to tell us that the obvious answer to "why" was, in fact, wrong?!?!?), he changed his tune on 2.0.  That meeting was really eye opening.  It seemed to suggest a math curriculum written by folks who are somewhat math-phobic in order to make math a subjective, language-based discipline.  That's not what math is.  [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics