My 7 year old has been doing common core math with the dots and so on. Last night his problems looked exactly like we would expect, with the cross-out of the too small upper number and the little one on top, except that we called it 'regrouping' instead of 'carrying the one'. They get there; they really do.

Anonymous wrote:My 7 year old can instinctively add two 3-digit numbers by doing it the "new" way. He just figured it out himself (365 + 122 - 300 + 100, then 60 + 20, then 5 + 2 sort of thing) and I am glad they teach it this way. I think it will give them a much better base for the future.

There are no carrying of numbers in this instance so your response means nothing to the OP

Our generation knows how to get the answer to an addition problem. We were not taught number sense at all. It is the reason why there are so many people that are afraid of math. If you ask anyone who is good at math to look at common core (many don't know what it is), they will almost all say, oh, yeah, that is actually what I do. They think that it is a "trick." But it isn't. It is number sense, and it is something that all children should learn. Unfortunately, many of those who are scared of math from our generation are hindering that learning.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It's a crock of shit and will ruin many kids for math.

I guess you say this because it is not the way you were taught.
But, it actually does help kids understand what they are doing when they are adding.
I am likely older than you, and when I was taught math in elementary it didn’t make sense to me.
So, I would come home and my dad would “reteach” me - my dad, who had his masters in physics.
He actually taught me to add left to right. Doing this helped me understand the algorithm.
A good teacher knows how to help kids understand what they are doing.

I'm in my mid 50s. Back when math was math and age-appropriate. I know many kids who just are picking up this math fad, partly because it is too abstract at a young age and that teachers don't really understand how to teach it.

And fuck the fact that they want parents to go to training on this. How many kids is THAT going to SCREW OVER?

They want parents to go to training so you don't embarrass yourself with an inane Facebook rant about the new math. They're saving yourself from you.

Anonymous wrote:I disagree, my kids don't have a firm grasp of arithmetic skills and I have had to supplement a ton.

You've confused memorizing algorithms with good math education. They're teaching number sense.

Please learn how to do common core math. Only then are you qualified to teach your child. You will hinder their growth if you don't either let them be taught or learn yourself.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It's a crock of shit and will ruin many kids for math.

Yes, because the way they've been teaching math for the last 30 years is really working well for us in this country.

Ding ding ding. "Yours is not to reason why, just invert and multiply" produced generations of math-loathing adults who passed their aversions to their kids.

Actual mathematicians are generally* on board with constructivist/concept based learning techniques.

http://www.ams.org/publications/journals/notices/201602/rnoti-p154.pdf
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/09/15/common-core-math-education-standards-fluency-column/15693531/
http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2014/12/29/371918272/the-man-behind-common-core-math

*Of course, there are the half-dozen or so usual suspects who want any math instruction other than what we had in the 1950s to get off their proverbial lawns, and who Breitbart.com and friends love interviewing on repeat.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seriously, for those of you new to it: they are doing an incredible job teaching math these days. My kids are faster and have deeper understanding than we ever did, but they way they got there is very different. And now I can look back and see the beauty and brilliance of it all.

+1

My second grader can now do math like that in her head without missing a beat.

As a result of the "new math", she's very comfortable and confident with numbers and eager to learn more. It's awesome to see.

No doubt they'll learn to carry and add on other skills in time. But the foundation comes first.

FWIW, this is how my math-strong DH always did math. School required him to carry and borrow, but left to his own devices he did it the way they are now teaching DD.

Ditto. I always did and do this in my head, even though I was taught the "old" way. I went to a math and science magnet, took calculus in my junior year of HS in the 90s, and missed exactly two math questions on the SAT. Not everyone's brain works the same way, but this is a good development.

My 7 year old can instinctively add two 3-digit numbers by doing it the "new" way. He just figured it out himself (365 + 122 - 300 + 100, then 60 + 20, then 5 + 2 sort of thing) and I am glad they teach it this way. I think it will give them a much better base for the future.