re: Let's Talk Common Core

My oldest is in first grade and she is learning at a level way beyond what I had at her age. She is memorizing addition and subtraction "facts" as well as all these drawn out ways to compute. All of these boxes and graphs and draw it out things seem to be teaching the distributive property of algebra.

Now, will this insane building block tear it apart methods help her better understand higher level math when that time comes?? That's the big question.

Also if I had s kid that learned the old way for years and now in 8th grade is forced to change, I might feel differently, I think this should have been phased in.

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The idea of the lengthy process is so you can break down the problem and do it in your head. Most grown adults should be able to do quick multiplication of numbers in their heads. Being able to do math and estimates is incredibly helpful in engineering when your talking out a problem/design. No need to stop and pull out paper or a calculator.

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take a problem like 53 * 27 and explain to me how common core would help me in the future do quick multiplication in my head?

another thing basic arithmetic has worked for a long time hasn't it? Why change it now?

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Memorization does nothing

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Exactly. Which is why I hate the way the public school system is now.

I read through this thread and I'm not sure any of you know what common core is.

the correct distributive property expression is (50x20) + (50x7)+ (3x20)+ (3 x21)

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Exactly. Which is why I hate the way the public school system is now.

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way to take it out of context.

I said for math memorization is good.

things that require theories, reasoning etc. memorization is pointless.

For exmaple

In Philosophy you learn about David Hume and Kant and how they reject the idea of metaphysics, and stuff like that. Memorizing the argument is helpful sure, but if you don't move beyond that it doesn't really do much.

Learning is as such.

Level 1 I learn basic skills
reading
writting
math

level 2 is where you take your basic skills and you start to apply them to more complex things
history
liturature
sciences.

you can go on to level 3 and 4 and 5 etc. The point you never lose the basics when you get to a higher level. If you have to rejec the arguments of Kant and Hume, you have to have many basic skills. Including reading, writting, reasoning, etc.

Maybe the common core way to approach things is better for some. I'm learning more as I go on. I think there are arguments on both sides. From the outside looking in and being relatively uninformed, common core looks like it takes longer to do, longer to teach, and hurts students who are smarter.

For example.

5th grade classroom. Billy Bob can do multiplications pretty well and basic ones in his head. He knows by memory all single digit multiplications. Bob Billy is not as smart with math, and he struggles with it.

Now to me from the outside what it looks like is that they are going to implement a process that will help bob billy and hurt billy bob. Am I correct on this? Or will common core help Billy Bob too?

What I fear is that in liberal education, the idea is about equality. Bring down smarter students to the level of stupider students. This is the purpose of common core. They will force smart students to learn this slow method when they have been able to master a quicker method. Why punish a student if he gets the answer correct but not in the way the teacher demands? I understand there can be good reasons, but what are they.

I'm sorry I go on so long, but this is something that concerns me.

Common core is not a curriculum.

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Common core is not a curriculum.

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it is a complete overhaul of many education theories I guess you could say.

It is to full of liberal hands, equality, and indoctrination from what I have read. Outside of Math mostly.

I haven't heard much about common core english, science, etc. but the little I heard was kinda bad.

It's the creation of a nationwide standard for education. I'm not really following you. The implementation of these standards brought on these new teaching methods that drive people who've never seen them up the crazy.