@Georgiagrama wrote:
@JJsMom I've read and heard many arguments about the new common core math. Nothing has been proven, that I've heard, that it is the better way, but time will tell. The point I was trying to make, which you seem to have overlooked, is that if it is going to be taught in school, which is inevitable, perhaps there should be a better way to provide instructions for those of us who help the children with homework and the children as well once they are no longer in the presence of the teacher. I've spent many hours on my computer searching for answers and I'm way past 70 years old. And, to my point, and as another poster mentioned, if what we learn isn't the way the teacher taught it, it only confuses the child. There seems to be no consistency, and some teachers are better at it than others.
I certainly don't object to learning something new, and I don't think it's fair of you to generalize that we are stuck in our ways. We are trying to help our children.lApparently common core math can be taught differently. I personally do not feel that it is unreasonable to ask for some type of consistency. Apparently "theory" differs from one teacher to the next and until the child comes up with their own theory it just isn't going to click.
And, like you, we don't mind at all asking for help from the teacher, youtube, other children and even other teachers.
No one teaches things exactly the same way regardless of subject. Some teachers are better than others.
I don't think they need to teach things in a way for the parents to be able to help them. They need to teach to an acceptable standard and prioritize critical thinking skills. What happens when they get to advanced math, reading, or science in high school and college? Should it be dumbed down so you can continue to help them?
You do seem stuck in your ways because you refuse to acknowledge the advantages of the new method. You don't like it because you don't understand it. I don't think you have truly taken the time to learn about it based on your responses here.
I was taught math very similarly to how you were, and although I was good at math, it was a chore, and I would always figure things out differently in my head than how I was taught because I thought it was faster.
My son brought home math in third grade that looked foreign to me, so I can see why some are initially frustrated by it. He had to break everything down by 10s and 100s and draw it out. It wasn't enough to write down just the answer. You had to show how you arrived at it. Then I stopped and really looked at it, and it made total sense to me what they were trying to do. Once it clicked, he was spitting out answers so quickly, and he excels in math now.
I think you need to give it a chance. Kids pick up on our negative attitudes towards our school and teachers. If everyone around them is bashing the method, of course they won't see any value in it and give up.
If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. ~ Desmond Tutu
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