Reply to FYI: Indiana withdrawing from Common Core standards

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Reply to "FYI: Indiana withdrawing from Common Core standards"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
Here is what is wrong with CC (or if you wish, how it is being implemented):

Any math problem can be solved many ways.  Any reasonably motivated student, even if "only" taught the standard algorithms, will naturally and gradually came up with [b]his/her own mental shortcuts and intuitive visualizations that are useful/meaningful to him/her[/b].  Doing so will be driven by the student's own urge to save time and reduce errors.  And [b]each student will probably come up with somewhat different shortcuts and visualizations[/b], and that is fine.[/quote]

First of all, understand that these different ways to perform computations are only being talked about in the early years -- 1st, 2st, some 3rd -- as kids develop number sense.   The number sense should be solid by 4th grade, and students should continue to use that bedrock of number sense to be able to do mental math efficiently, and use algorithms when necessary.

Secondly, I completely disagree with you, that students will naturally and gradually come up with mental shortcuts.  Once you have a method that works, and you know it works, it is very likely that you will just stick with that method.   I know for me, that is exactly what I did.   I learned very early on to add and subtract by counting on, or counting down, and to this day, to subtract 9 from 17, I count down from 17 nine times.  Sometimes I even use my fingers.    I do it more so when I am under stress, which makes mental math hard for me; even though I know, and have taught my children, that subtracting 9 is almost like subtracting 10, you just take one fewer so your answer will be one more than 7.

There are in fact accepted, efficient ways of performing mental calculations, and kids should be explicitly taught these.  Otherwise you end up with kids just trying to memorize number facts with flashcards, kind of like kids who aren't taught how to sound out words, but who have to try to memorize whole words by sight.  It isn't efficient and it uses up working memory.

[quote]   
It is important to keep the lessons centered on the the standard algorithms because:  
1) Those standard algorithms [b]always[/b] work.  Yes there is a nice shortcut for 300-201 or $20-$4.99, but you need a more general method for $21.27-$8.69 
2) There needs to be a universal method that all students can use to communicate and "prove" the correctness of a result to others.  The standard algorithms are best suited for this.

[/quote]

No one is saying don't teach the standard algorithms.   However in the early years, it is also important to teach other methods that develop number sense.

[quote]I see teachers giving questions that require the student to make sense of some wacky visual or verbal interpretation for solving some particular math problem.  If that interpretation doesn't happen to "click" for a particular student, then the whole exercise is counterproductive.
[/quote]

Yes, there is a big problem in early elementary math today, in that the vast majority of teachers aren't prepared or trained for teaching anything but the standard algorithms, and the curriculum designers aren't much better.

[quote]Kids are smart and creative.  They will develop their own innate ability to understand/visualize.
[/quote]

Dear God, no, this would be the worst possible outcome.   Math, like decoding, should be explicitly taught, and kids should be given plenty of opportunity for practice.  You do NOT want a generation of children growing up inventing their own way to add and subtract.[/quote]

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