Math bring taught today in school - Page 2

Carmie · ‎10-25-2010

Back in 1962-1963, I was in third grade. My teacher taught " new math." My mother as well as my friend's families couldn't help or figure it out.

My father was a mathematical genius. He looked at it and helped me. He also taught me other ways of gettting the answers in my head.

In addition to the new math, I had to learn the the old math.

A few years ago, when I volunteered at a local elementary school, there were quite a few children who could not figure out the new math and their parents couldn't help them either.

Some teachers also didn't know how to do it when the kids asked for help in the lunch room.

Boy, were they shocked when I said...I know how. Funny, the new math is not new to me.

1+1 will always be 2 no matter what method you use. Math is a science.

So, I went to school from 1 to 8 grade in a four classroom school. We had one teacher who taught two grades at the same time. There were about 30 kids in a classroom.. That was primitive by today's standards, but 100% effective.

My kids learned the "old" way as well as my grandkids, but the kids at my local public school are learning the "new" way.

It really doesn't make a difference. I am just thrilled they are learning. Maybe, they will be able to do basic math without a calculator or count change back.

chrystaltree · ‎05-10-2010

Math is math but they do indeed do the calculations differently from the way I learned and even from the way my girls who are thirtyish learned. It's IMPORTANT that you not interfere and confuse the kids. The must do their calculations they way they are taught in school. Not the way we learned back in the older days. My 11 year old niece's mom learned so she could help her daughter with math. The dad had to be told "hands off" when it came to math because he was just confusing the child. Things change in education. My niece now wants to learn cursive because she thinks it's pretty. Cursive is not part of the school curriculum and middle school kids are not allowed to use it. They mostly do their assignments on their laptops.

Ainhisg · ‎03-09-2010

I have been retired from teaching for 14 years. During the last year that I taught (third grade), we had to teach "new math" with the problems being written horizontally. The kids not only had to get the correct answer, but they also had to explain why it was the correct answer. The problem? Third graders don't have the life knowledge and experience to understand what they're doing let alone explain it. Math can be very abstract for younger children. If they did manage to explain it correctly, they were just regurgitating what I had taught with really no understanding for the most part. They also had to do lots of extra steps to come up with the correct answer. I found the whole thing ridiculous and was very glad that it was my last year of teaching.

As far as cursive, I taught it to students my whole life...until I didn't. The last year I taught, we third grade teachers were told not to teach it at all--that the fourth grade teachers would teach how to write in cursive. I have no idea if they did or not, since I retired. But in today's world, the skill really isn't needed except to sign a check or legal documents.

DJs mom · ‎06-06-2012

@Ainhisg wrote:
I have been retired from teaching for 14 years. During the last year that I taught (third grade), we had to teach "new math" with the problems being written horizontally. The kids not only had to get the correct answer, but they also had to explain why it was the correct answer. The problem? Third graders don't have the life knowledge and experience to understand what they're doing let alone explain it. Math can be very abstract for younger children. If they did manage to explain it correctly, they were just regurgitating what I had taught with really no understanding for the most part. They also had to do lots of extra steps to come up with the correct answer. I found the whole thing ridiculous and was very glad that it was my last year of teaching.

As far as cursive, I taught it to students my whole life...until I didn't. The last year I taught, we third grade teachers were told not to teach it at all--that the fourth grade teachers would teach how to write in cursive. I have no idea if they did or not, since I retired. But in today's world, the skill really isn't needed except to sign a check or legal documents.

@Ainhisg this is a big misconception. You do not have to sign a check or a legal document in cursive. Your signature is your signature, whether it is cursive or print.

Laura14 · ‎06-09-2014

@Ainhisg Completely agree!

I taught second grade for half a second and they did the same thing and even labeled a little girl as deficient and placed her in a remedial group because she got all the right answers using the "old fashioned" way and could not explain or show it in the "new" way so she was marked as failing.

For a generation that was probably never even going to do math in their heads like we all did for a sale back in the day with the advent of smartphones, I thought it was ridiculous and psychologically damaging. I doubt that little girl who is now in her 20s ever had a checkbook register.

But if she did, exactly how does that work now if they moved everything horizontal?

Honestly, these people that mess with things just to mess with them and make themselves feel original and important are ridiculous.

To have a school message and label a kid as "remedial" because she got everything right, but not in the way some ivory tower wanted to see it is nonsense.

That little girl was giving up on herself and quickly becoming an unnecessary behavior problem all because she did the right thing the "wrong" way. I hope she found better in the older grades.

beckyb1012 · ‎03-09-2010

My GD is in the 5th grade here in Texas started struggling really bad in Math her 3rd and 4th grade year. Still doing the problems vertically though from what I remembered in helping her. Now that she is doing fractions in the 5th grade she is just whizzing along, thank goodness.

My 5th grade year in math we thought for sure I would have to do summer school but I was able to squeak by. Never understood why change things. Growing up I heard the phrase New Math and thought what the heck was Old Math? Math is math.

"Live frugally, but love extravagantly."

Ainhisg · ‎03-09-2010

@DJs mom I did not know this. Thank you for telling me!

DJs mom · ‎06-06-2012

@Ainhisg you're very welcome. Many people think you have to "sign" your name in cursive. But it simply isn't true. I am a paralegal and work in criminal law. I've mentioned here before when I took my then 14 yr old son to the DMV last year to get a state ID for his summer job the woman told him he had to sign his ID in cursive or he wouldn't get it. I then stepped in and told her that is not a requirement or the law. My son went to Catholic School and he does know how to write in cursive, but he doesn't. All of his school work is done on a laptop. He doesn't sign his name in cursive, he signs it in print. Nonetheless, he walked out of the DMV with his ID in hand and his signature in print.

Lakelife62 · ‎05-09-2023

@DJs mom wrote:
@Ainhisg you're very welcome. Many people think you have to "sign" your name in cursive. But it simply isn't true. I am a paralegal and work in criminal law. I've mentioned here before when I took my then 14 yr old son to the DMV last year to get a state ID for his summer job the woman told him he had to sign his ID in cursive or he wouldn't get it. I then stepped in and told her that is not a requirement or the law. My son went to Catholic School and he does know how to write in cursive, but he doesn't. All of his school work is done on a laptop. He doesn't sign his name in cursive, he signs it in print. Nonetheless, he walked out of the DMV with his ID in hand and his signature in print.

So much is now signed electronically. I've been using an electronic signature application for years. The only time I have to have a client sign anything is if they don't have a computer or need a signature guarantee or notary.

WORKING GAL · ‎11-15-2011

@chrystaltree- My dtr. will learn the current way her boys are learning math so she doesn't confuse them. They are learning cursive and are really liking it and praticing it on their own because they think it's fun. School curriculums are different across the country. In my opinion they should be the same.