re: (Not Common Core)-- Why are they teaching math this way?

Kids used to be taught why 2 + 2 = 4. That was instilled in kindergarten/ 1st grade. It's not like the current crop of teachers have revolutionized everything.

But to completely nix memorization in favor of over analysis (bc that's basically what the new method is) - is counterproductive in my opinion. Common core is what education majors used to have to take as a course. Someone along the way decided that ALL kids should learn that way and only that way. The old way was never broken to begin with.