Anyone else's child struggling with "new math"?

[Gumbo4x4]

DD10 is having a hard time. We avoided this completely with DD14, and up through 4th with DD10. But, the school is insisting on a unit of it & it's not going well. To compound the issue, her teacher doesn't even understand it (same teacher she had last year, BTW and we absolutely love her). DD's math test scores are off the charts & it's always been her best classroom subject. But right now she's acing everything else and struggling to eek out a B- in math. Frustrating part is she can get all the correct answers using traditional methods. But, that's not allowed. I know getting her first B (or possibly even a C) ever isn't the end of the World, but I'm more concerned she's not learning anything.

Anyone else?

 

[FINFAN]

DD wasn't taught that way but DS was, IMHO it's terrible. No time spent actually securing a method. Like you DD, my DS was frustrated the mixed message of solving using traditional was not allowed as the whole spiel our elementary and middle schools used was "more than one way to solve". Our CC counselor told me that kids coming in there who have been taught that way have been struggling with math a lot in the long run. Not all, but definitely a very noticeable drop in scores , college placement testing and class performance. I am not a fan. Hopefully they just stay with this unit and not for the duration like my DS had to deal with. Some kids were not affected by the change at all, but many were.

 

[TifffanyD]

For your enjoyment:

 

[aprilgail]

My daughter has missed the common core stuff by one year, she is one year ahead of it all but she was trying to help a 1st grade boy she babysits for with his homework and she had no clue how to do it. You cant just add two numbers, you have to do like 5 steps to add it instead of just the normal one, its insane. To get into the math honor society this year she needs a certain number of hours tutoring younger kids, kind of hard to tutor in something you have never learned!

 

[cabanafrau]

Don't sweat it too much and try to help her avoid frustration. I'd encourage her to remember she does have a method of solving the problems, which is wonderful, and work to embrace this as a possible alternative way of approaching a solution. Whatever she takes away from the actual process may be useful to her in the future when she's working in different mathematical concepts and the notion of this type of process may come up then.

That's the take on these different math approaches of my oldest DD, who is in college in a very math/science centric major after attending a special math and science high school. She's taken math classes every college semester, sometimes two in a semester, taken math classes designed for engineering, etc. I was unaware there were so many different types/styles? of different branches of mathematics, but she assures me that there are, and for good reason. She thinks some of those whacky methods going back to elementary school have actually helped her embrace some of the different styles of algebra, etc. that she has encountered along the way of high school and into college.

Keep your daughter's spirits and work ethic boosted up and don't fuss to much about the specific results. Good luck, I know it's frustrating.

 

[BrianL]

Is this some kind of New "New Math" or something? I thought all that was abandoned in the 1960's. I always remember hearing about it as a kid (in the 80's) but it was always derisively joked about and we were taught normal way.

Principal Skinner: "We can finally afford history books that know how the Korean War ended and Math books without that base six crap in them."

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Don't sweat it too much and try to help her avoid frustration. I'd encourage her to remember she does have a method of solving the problems, which is wonderful, and work to embrace this as a possible alternative way of approaching a solution. Whatever she takes away from the actual process may be useful to her in the future when she's working in different mathematical concepts and the notion of this type of process may come up then.

That's the take on these different math approaches of my oldest DD, who is in college in a very math/science centric major after attending a special math and science high school. She's taken math classes every college semester, sometimes two in a semester, taken math classes designed for engineering, etc. I was unaware there were so many different types/styles? of different branches of mathematics, but she assures me that there are, and for good reason. She thinks some of those whacky methods going back to elementary school have actually helped her embrace some of the different styles of algebra, etc. that she has encountered along the way of high school and into college.

Keep your daughter's spirits and work ethic boosted up and don't fuss to much about the specific results. Good luck, I know it's frustrating.

I was an Engineering major & while I've found alternative methods useful in many instances, this stuff to someone who excels at math is like trying to read Chinese.

My understanding is that some kids with learning disabilities can reach the answer using this method when traditional methods fail. And that's fine. If your brain works that way, that's how you adapt. Not a fan of forcing that on those who don't need it though. My daughter's grades may keep her out of advanced math classes strictly because she's struggling with methods designed to help kids who aren't good at math.

 

[nd5056]

'You figure it out!': Frustrated dad writes check to son's elementary school using controversial Common Core

This check explains it the best:

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

I have always been pretty good at math, but I have also always seen the patterns in numbers. That is what new math is teaching. I encourage my DD to check her answers using a different method when she knows more than one. That lets her do the problem as it is being taught but still get the answer right. The skills also build each year, so she was doing many things at a younger age than I did. She is much better at word problems than I ever was.

Best parent tips: get the name of her math curriculum and google the name of her curriculum with the name of the chapter so that YOU can learn enough to check her homework. For a really tough problem, you can often Google the problem word-for-word and find an explanation. Also, the app PhotoMath is a Godsend for helping with homework. I never suggested any of this to DD, but it helped me get headed in the right direction a few times.

Funny story: She asked me to show her how to compute a tip a few nights ago at a restaurant because she didn't quite get what her teacher was doing. I show her, and she says, "Oh, its just a ratio." I think her understanding of the relationship between numbers may be stronger than mine was at her age.

 

[wenrob]

It is beyond frustrating. Mine are nine going on ten. My husband and oldest DD (19) are both insanely good at math, DD having taken AP math with courses I couldn't even pronounce and even they are lost. If you try to show them how you would do it they get very upset because they're not supposed to do it that way. As pointed out in the video above it seems it's about the process and not the actual answer. Not having any experience with the process and getting a sheet of paper with a brief explanation just doesn't cut it. After decades of doing something in a particular way you're kind of hard wired to do it that way. For me it's hard to wrap my head around enough to help them. I'm never sure if we're doing it right or not.

 

[gwynne]

It is beyond frustrating. Mine are nine going on ten. My husband and oldest DD (19) are both insanely good at math, DD having taken AP math with courses I couldn't even pronounce and even they are lost. If you try to show them how you would do it they get very upset because they're not supposed to do it that way. As pointed out in the video above it seems it's about the process and not the actual answer. Not having any experience with the process and getting a sheet of paper with a brief explanation just doesn't cut it. After decades of doing something in a particular way you're kind of hard wired to do it that way. For me it's hard to wrap my head around enough to help them. I'm never sure if we're doing it right or not.

It sounds like this "innovation" makes math a rather unpleasant experience. Sad.

 

[wenrob]

It sounds like this "innovation" makes math a rather unpleasant experience. Sad.

There been more then one homework session where we've all been near tears.

 

[mnrose]

I'm so glad we are past basic math by now. Phew. My son is doing Calculus, and I'm pretty sure there is no "new" way to teach that. LOL.

 

[gwynne]

There been more then one homework session where we've all been near tears.

That must be very frustrating.
It's too bad the curriculum writers don't comprehend that deliberately over complicating something doesn't make it more understandable or easier to do. It's just the opposite.

 

[cabanafrau]

I was an Engineering major & while I've found alternative methods useful in many instances, this stuff to someone who excels at math is like trying to read Chinese.

My understanding is that some kids with learning disabilities can reach the answer using this method when traditional methods fail. And that's fine. If your brain works that way, that's how you adapt. Not a fan of forcing that on those who don't need it though. My daughter's grades may keep her out of advanced math classes strictly because she's struggling with methods designed to help kids who aren't good at math.

Oh, I understand your frustration. I can encourage you a bit more by saying that missing the chance for advanced math classes doesn't doom them. Just a few years ago I was dealing with a sobbing middle schooler who missed placement in the 8th grade advanced math by one point. (There's another piece of the story involving twin sisters and their results and placement, but I'll leave that out here.) Fast forward a few years and my sobbing middle schooler who wasn't placed in the advanced 8th grade math class was offered the chance to double up on math her sophomore year because her grades and talents were recognized as being (one of the few) worthwhile of being on the track to take AP calc and in order to do so she needed to push the prelim credits through in order to free up the space senior year. Don't lose hope -- and most importantly don't let your DD lose hope. Things really change as the years move along. What seemed predetermined in elementary really shakes up in the middle and HS years.

I'll put on my petty hat for this postscript. Maybe ten of the kids from that middle school math class are able to take the AP calc class -- neither one of the previously mentioned twin sisters made the cut. My DD was in the class, but elected to remove it from her schedule at the end of last year because there were other things that apply more directly to her planned career choice she'd rather use the credits for instead. I think now that they're a couple weeks into the year the teacher has finally given up on my daughter joining them in class, but she's definitely let my daughter know it pains her not to see her in the class. It's funny how it all works out.

 

[RedHatDisney]

Being able to think "outside of the box" is what has helped me over many "speedbumps" that have cropped up during my life. I think that is what is being promoted here. Flexibility is important, knowing that there is more than one way to solve a problem. Elementary school is, to me, the best time for this.......minds are more open, less fixed, and face it, these grades won't determine college placement. Frustrating, I know. I flunked the "old math" algebra in the early 60's..........took New Math algebra the following year and aced it. Keep your mind open to the possibilities.

 

[tarak]

My 7th grader, who is in Algebra 1, managed to avoid it. My 5th grader is in an advanced math course. In 4th, they went through that year's curriculum and half of fifth's. Now they're finishing up the fifth grade curriculum to move on to 6th. They had to switch to common core for the second half of the fifth grade curriculum. All the kids are struggling now. If they had to change things, they should have just started with the earlier grades and let the older kids go with what they know. I know how to figure out the lowest common denominator, and I can explain that to her. But not with common core. Honestly, I don't get my second grader's homework sometimes. It took me forever to figure out that "write down the addition fact" meant adding two numbers. At least I think that's what it means. But if my son knows 6+5=11, why does he have to go through five steps to make the 6 into a 10 so he can get the same answer?

 

[RedAngie]

Is this some kind of New "New Math" or something? I thought all that was abandoned in the 1960's. I always remember hearing about it as a kid (in the 80's) but it was always derisively joked about and we were taught normal way.

Principal Skinner: "We can finally afford history books that know how the Korean War ended and Math books without that base six crap in them."

Or perhaps "New Math Version 10.2" We had new math one year in the late 60s in elementary school. They abandoned it after a year because so many kids who previously earned A's and B's in math were getting C's and D's. Even the ancient nun had a problem teaching one concept. The smartest girl in the class had to explain it to her (and us).

 

[powellrj]

My niece is in college to be a teacher and just posted an example of a problem calling it satans math!

 

[cabanafrau]

There been more then one homework session where we've all been near tears.

My niece is in college to be a teacher and just posted an example of a problem calling it satans math!

So discouraging to hear this. Our country needs to seriously boost interest and skills in mathematics. We are really starting to lag behind much of the world in this area. Frustrating the daylights out of them by elementary school is definitely not the way we need to be going.