Why little Johnny can't math...

[Ace-Garageguy]

Well fellers...I was going to post a quick video that exposes the horror of how 'common core' now 'teaches math', and why so many young people seem to be devoid of the simple arithmetic skills we old fossils take for granted.

But alas, there are a couple of undeniable political references in the vid, so I cant show it to you.

HOWEVER...if you have kids or grandkids or friends with offspring in elementary school, you really need to look into this...if you care about their intellectual welfare and ultimate employability.

 

[KMcc]

Another problem is I think the current majority of teachers are also devoid of simple arithmetic skills. Sad.

[bobss396]

Math used to be a progression, to go along with how children learned. Geometry, algebra then calculus. It was a time honored tradition. 

Common core throws all that down the porcelain receptacle. Kids come out of HS and most cannot add or subtract. 

[Lunajammer]

From AI Overview: Traditional methods often focused on memorization, while Common Core emphasizes understanding the reasoning behind the math. This often involves explaining the "why" behind an answer instead of just providing the correct result.

Seems to me the "why" is intuitive if you can answer math problems with correct results.

[stavanzer]

It's not a new issues.

Tom Lehrer was talking about it, 60 years ago.

 

[johnyrotten]

It seems to me that basic education is fast tracked today. My youngest God-daughter graduated this year, she was learning subjects at least 1-2 school years ahead of when I was in school. On top of that everything was done via laptop including homework.  I had a "computer lab" class. My graduating class is probably among the last ones that had to learn cursive writing.  Could be the quality of the school she attended vs the one I attended, who knows. Both are/were regular old public schools. It seems to me, they speed run these kids through education, find reasons to pass them, and that will end up biting them in the long run.

[Ace-Garageguy]

1 hour ago, Lunajammer said:

From AI Overview: Traditional methods often focused on memorization, while Common Core emphasizes understanding the reasoning behind the math. This often involves explaining the "why" behind an answer instead of just providing the correct result.

Seems to me the "why" is intuitive if you can answer math problems with correct results.

Exactly.

[89AKurt]

Sometimes I feel (not think) that Bill is taunting me for some reason. 🤪  Without involving the process of how taxes are levied and then blown .... I mean "invested", this discussion won't last long.  I feel that 1000% of high school graduates will do something stupid in their life, if they get past Prom night. My parents talked about the weather, now we hurl insults at one another and the climate will still change.  My (now ex) wife got elected on to a school board, and that experience opened my eyes up like getting into a brawl, it was ugly, so I have nothing positive to add.

Good thing our "smart phones" have calculators. 🤣  And A.I. along with 3D printing is going to save us from ourselves.

[Ace-Garageguy]

6 minutes ago, 89AKurt said:

Good thing our "smart phones" have calculators. 🤣  And A.I. along with 3D printing is going to save us from ourselves.

...so that on the rare occasion somebody presents icky cash, they can figure out change for a dollar, or calculate a 20% tip, and banking apps that warn you that the next $8 latte will trigger $40 in overdraft fees.

[89AKurt]

6 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

...so that on the rare occasion somebody presents icky cash, they can figure out change for a dollar, or calculate a 20% tip, and banking apps that warn you that the next $8 latte will trigger $40 in overdraft fees.

At a model show I was selling kits in the swap, one young guy was like you know [speaking like one] indignant that we are all into just cash, I had just started Zelle one time before so we figured it out.  Many will accept the Chip without question.

[stavanzer]

5 hours ago, 89AKurt said:

  Many will accept the Chip without question.

You are so correct.

Especially if it sold as being more convenient and faster.

[JollySipper]

Scrolling around somewhere online, I ran across a post asking you to solve a math problem....... It was an Algebra problem with parenthesis. Find the variable. I solved it, then looked at the answer. It said the answer is either *this* or *that*, depending on how the problem was solved! I'm old school, so I used the PEMDAS method.......... It's no wonder kids are confused by math if two people can solve the same problem, get two different answers, and both be correct!

[bobss396]

My oldest son was in grade school and wanted help with a math question. It was involving "how many of each coin" is required o make some arbitrary sum. Or something like that. 

I saw it as a big trial-and-error exercise... or create a simultaneous equation to solve it. Which i did, drew it out to show his teacher that this was well beyond a 6th grader. He never showed it to her...

I had a learning disability that was never diagnosed while I was in school. On my own, I learned the times tables, took it into the twelves. So I could do it all in my head eventually.

Making change, I had little tricks to help me with that. At the store, I'll tell the cashier what my change for a $20 will be, before they know it. They just look at me.

I have a brother, real close to a Rain Man brain. We would test him, what is 34,899 x 7,563 for example.

I would enter it on a calculator as I called out the numbers. Before I hit the = button, he had the answer. He is also banned from some casinos in AC for some reason 🤔. 

Edited 6 hours ago by bobss396

[Ace-Garageguy]

10 hours ago, JollySipper said:

...It's no wonder kids are confused by math if two people can solve the same problem, get two different answers, and both be correct!

This is in line, unfortunately, with one prevailing form of idiocy stating that relatively simple math is arbitrary, pushed onto society by some imagined boogeyman 'power structure', and not simply a tool for understanding objective reality.

Might be a reason we're seeing more and more things built not very long ago collapse...sometimes even before they're finished.

The PEDMAS method you mention exists for a reason, that being to ensure everyone gets the same result. There are NOT two correct answers.

For those who don't know, PEDMAS is a rule that defines the order of operations to correctly solve a mathematical expression with multiple operations. When you see multiple operations, you must solve them in this specific order.

 

Edited 5 hours ago by Ace-Garageguy

[Beans]

My 9th grade daughter showed me an app the other day that allows her to scan any equation or math problem and gives you the answer.  It also explains how to get the answer in case you want to actually learn it but who really has time for that....

 

Luckily she is pretty driven when it comes to her grades and tests and understands that knowing how to do the work is more important than having the answer given to you.

[mcs1056]

19 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

...so that on the rare occasion somebody presents icky cash, they can figure out change for a dollar, 

So I carry a very thin wallet. I hate the George Costanza, "receipts from eight years ago" wallets the size of a pillow. Thus, if something is going to cost $5.37, I will present $11.00. 

I'll just have my $5 and the coins, thank you.

OK. Full Disclosure; I think I may really do it to watch the confusion of the cashier's face as they try to figure it out.