Meet the New Math, Unlike the Old Math
FTA: &quot;Traditional math teaches an algorithm. Common Core teaches the concept of &#x27;proportionality&#x27; [over a period of six years]&quot;<p>My 11 and 13yr olds are dealing with this Common Core bullshit right now. This article might give an insight into why CC is so bad, yet they think its so good. Like when we demo a software product that we&#x27;ve all been working on for six months, and discover that users can&#x27;t figure out how to make it work: it only works for us because we&#x27;ve been using it continuously for six months. Maybe Common Core can teach Proportionality if you sit down with a kid and give them all six years of it over two days. What happens in reality, is that my kids (a) don&#x27;t understand the confusing ways its presented and (b) don&#x27;t make the connection between the different expressions of the same underlying concept. Its not useful. Its actually immensely frustrating for everyone.<p>I think they have it exactly backwards. Teach the algorithm. Rote practice. Then teach the concept.<p>I&#x27;m reminded of my first year thermodynamics lecture at Imperial: &quot;We&#x27;re going to teach this to you every year. The first year you wont understand it. The second year you&#x27;ll think you understand it. The final year you&#x27;ll realize you never really understood it, but at least you&#x27;ll be able to use it.&quot;