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Math- Common Core style


Lawdog Dago Dom

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After many years of avoiding math as a student, and later as a substitute teacher, my luck ran out today. Math teacher/baseball coach had to take the team to the State playoffs.

 

So I was "it."

 

No problem. 5th grade math and science. Had a good outline to follow.  But what was coming?

 

Long division. Common Core Long Division.

 

I had the teacher's book with all the answers. Good.

 

Kids doing problems on the white dry erase board. Looked odd, but ok.

 

But they were getting the right answers. Except one kid.

 

It was an easy division problem. three digit number divided by two. Should be a three digit answer. Student kept getting the second digit wrong.

 

Then I asked, "How did you calculate the 8 for the next number?" I was showed a series of mathematical gymnastics that made me think I had truly traveled into a parallel dimension of time and space.

 

By now a group had formed around our table. I said, "Let me try it my way." So I did the problem in the way of public school mathematics in the 60's and 70's.

 

Bingo! Right answer and in record time. The kids were amazed and kept asking how did I do that so fast.

 

"Old school math," I replied.

 

So why did we ditch old school math for this crap????

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2 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said:

 

DING! DING! DING!

 

WE Have a WINNER

In 1969 I left the Army and taught sixth grade in Brigham City, Utah.  "New Math" was the bell ringer of choice at that time.  My Principal told me to teach it my way and my kids and one other class were well ahed of the rest of the school in math.

 

No calculators, no computers, none of that, but I did have a parent come in to demonstrate the use of a small Japanese abacus that every store clerk in Okinawa and Japan used daily.  Amazed kids were standing in line to learn how to use that little wooden  frame with beaded wires.

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I dunno common core so I can’t help you.  I also can’t do math of the 60s & 70s. But I do have a PhD. I got a lot of crap for just writing down the answers without “showing my work”. What work? You asked me a question, I gave you my answer!

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Following a stint in a private school, upon return to "public' school in 1960s California, I was exposed to "The New Math."  Didn't care what answer you got.  Just had to show how you got what ever answer you came up with.  Made no sense at all.  Still doesn't.

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We had a family move two months into my seventh grade school year. I was multiplying and dividing fractions in my head. First day of new school, we are learning The New Math, SMSG program, now discredited 50 years later. I was told I had to do it the New way. It messed up my math ability so badly I couldnt balance a check book without a calculator. Fast forward many years I actually used a little of what I remembered in various jobs, so I guess I learned more than I thought or it finally made sense

13 hours ago, PaleWolf Brunelle, #2495L said:

common core (2).jpg

This I believe is the Core of why this stuff is taught.

 

Imis

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11 hours ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

I dunno common core so I can’t help you.  I also can’t do math of the 60s & 70s. But I do have a PhD. I got a lot of crap for just writing down the answers without “showing my work”. What work? You asked me a question, I gave you my answer!

As Noz would probably say, "don't mess with Algebra!" I found out in my second attempt at college, I love Algebra.

 

I'm just the opposite of MMH. When I wanted to take the College equivalent of Algebra, I failed the test miserably. I talked to the instructor and basically begged him to let me take the class. I ended up with the highest grade in the class. He once told me he never had a student who would show every little step like I did.

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Hey, I wasn't done. (What key combo gets things to post like that?)

 

I've been called a "nit picker" more than once. Two out of three times it was a compliment. Little minds think it is a bad thing.

 

My final job was made for my kind. I was a software tester. That is where nits are called bugs and finding them is akin to a special talent. :o:lol:;)

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In college when I was taking statistics and business statistics you were supposed to show all the steps to the answers. I didn't and the instructor told the rest of the class I was the exception to that rule, don't worry about it.

kR

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They pulled that crap when my son was in school. Started to learn old math and then they switched to new math around junior high. He almost quit school.

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1 hour ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

I never had manual dexterity

And you're a cook. And use knives.

 

Make a lot of finger-foods, do you?;)

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7 hours ago, Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217 said:

As Noz would probably say, "don't mess with Algebra!" I found out in my second attempt at college, I love Algebra.

 

I'm just the opposite of MMH. When I wanted to take the College equivalent of Algebra, I failed the test miserably. I talked to the instructor and basically begged him to let me take the class. I ended up with the highest grade in the class. He once told me he never had a student who would show every little step like I did.

In high school I had to take algebra a second time to get a passing grade.

 

I'm happy to say I have NEVER used algebra since I finished that class....and I ended my public school teaching career as a junior high school consumer math teacher.

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I'm a pharmacist, use it all the time.

I saw a good on FB a while back. Double digit multiplication. On one side was the common core Bravo Sierra. On the other side someone did it the old way with a pencil and paper. Old way took 15-20 seconds. Then made a pot of coffee, poured a cup and was drinking coffee before the common core crap was solved. I solved it in my head in about 10 seconds if you know how to do it, and I am not a math wizz.

JHC

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8 minutes ago, PaleWolf Brunelle, #2495L said:

 

How in the h3!! is that easier?

 

When my son came home with that garbage a few years ago I was unable to help him with his homework. All i could do is tell him if his answers were right or not and show him the old way. Luckily his teacher(s) haven't made him show any work. He's learned both ways to do things.

 

He's a Sophomore in high school now and when my daughter needs help, which is rare, he helps her. 

 

I'm certain that whoever came up with that garbage was trying to make our kids dumber, not smarter and I'd really like to meet those people and beat some sense into them.

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28 minutes ago, Tyrel Cody said:

How in the h3!! is that easier?

 

When my son came home with that garbage a few years ago I was unable to help him with his homework. All i could do is tell him if his answers were right or not and show him the old way. Luckily his teacher(s) haven't made him show any work. He's learned both ways to do things.

 

He's a Sophomore in high school now and when my daughter needs help, which is rare, he helps her. 

 

I'm certain that whoever came up with that garbage was trying to make our kids dumber, not smarter and I'd really like to meet those people and beat some sense into them.

 

Yep. That's what I saw, only for a long division problem. More needless work to get the same result.

 

Not unlike going to the hardware store to buy nails one at a time, instead of getting a pound or two.

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1 hour ago, Alpo said:

Looking at 35 x 12, I doubled one and halved the other.

 

35 x 12 is 70 x 6. 420.

 

45 minutes ago, Capt. James H. Callahan said:

35x 10 is 350.  35 x 2 is 70 . 350 + 70 is 420.

JHC

 

Those are pretty clever but being lazy I just got out my Post Versalog II slide rule and had the answer way before the new math person did.

 

When they started the new math for me in 6th or 7th grade I was having problems with division. At home I asked my father for help. He did the math and my mom did the English. He said that he didn't know how they did it but he showed me how he did division. It just clicked and I had no problem but the Nuns asked him to stop helping me. My father went all the way to the 10th grade before dropping out but he learned a lot of math and other things useful in the Navy as a Gunners Mate.

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8 hours ago, Capt. James H. Callahan said:

35x 10 is 350.  35 x 2 is 70 . 350 + 70 is 420.

JHC

 

+1  Did it in my head, had the answer before the old math guy had the problem written down. Almost failed algebra in HS. I could get the correct answer but could not work the problem correctly. X+Y never did make sense to me.

 

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9 hours ago, Dustin Checotah said:

 

Those are pretty clever but being lazy I just got out my Post Versalog II slide rule and had the answer way before the new math person did.

 

When they started the new math for me in 6th or 7th grade I was having problems with division. At home I asked my father for help. He did the math and my mom did the English. He said that he didn't know how they did it but he showed me how he did division. It just clicked and I had no problem but the Nuns asked him to stop helping me. My father went all the way to the 10th grade before dropping out but he learned a lot of math and other things useful in the Navy as a Gunners Mate.

I wonder how many people even know what a slide rule is. My dad and I were going thru some of his college stuff from the late 40's and found a slide rule. He was a pharmacist too. He tried to show me how to use it but that was like trying to learn Russian in 5 minutes.

JHC :lol:

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15 hours ago, Alpo said:

Looking at 35 x 12, I doubled one and halved the other.

 

35 x 12 is 70 x 6. 420.

 

Then there's always the old hp calculator with Reverse Polish Notation

Press 35

Press Enter

Press 12

Press X

Result is 420

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Story #1:  Baby girl comes home from school complaining they're trying to teach her math stuff (fractions) she's never going to use again.  We're in the kitchen, where I'm preparing supper.  I tell her: pick a (recipe) book out of that bookshelf; pick any recipe.  How many does it feed?  6.  You have 15 people coming for dinner.  What do you do?  Baby Girl:  oh.

 

Story #2:  I was privileged to go to Western Europe in 1989 with a group of high school students.  Several countries with pre-Euro currency.  Those kids could not, with math being taught at the time, do the estimated conversions in their heads.  And these kids were taking chemistry and physics.

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On 10/7/2019 at 10:19 PM, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

In 1969 I left the Army and taught sixth grade in Brigham City, Utah.  "New Math" was the bell ringer of choice at that time.  My Principal told me to teach it my way and my kids and one other class were well ahed of the rest of the school in math.

 

No calculators, no computers, none of that, but I did have a parent come in to demonstrate the use of a small Japanese abacus that every store clerk in Okinawa and Japan used daily.  Amazed kids were standing in line to learn how to use that little wooden  frame with beaded wires.

My grandfather was the first in the family to go to college (he was severely injured in WW2 and therefore got college benefits...his plans before the war were to become a plumber).  He was a civil engineer, and could do mathematical gymnastics with the best of them.  But, he used an abacus until his dying day.  I'll never forget his abacus; it was made of green jade and was just big enough to fit in the palm of his hand.  He could bang the beads back and forth with a pencil much faster than an accountant could punch in numbers on a calculator, and he was never wrong.

 

When he died, I asked the family about that abacus because I wanted to remember him by it, but no one remembers what happened to it.  

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On 10/8/2019 at 5:50 PM, Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217 said:

I got my BS (smirk) in BA, Accounting Concentration. Lots of algebra there. Never use it in "the real world." ;)

 

Funny enough, I owe my high school algebra teacher an apology.  I used algebra at least weekly when I was a cop.  As a collateral duty, I was an accident reconstructionist, and Northwestern University created a training program so cops can do that job with only basic algebra (they're not known to be master mathemeticians).  

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1 hour ago, Cyrus Cassidy #45437 said:

 

Funny enough, I owe my high school algebra teacher an apology.  I used algebra at least weekly when I was a cop.  As a collateral duty, I was an accident reconstructionist, and Northwestern University created a training program so cops can do that job with only basic algebra (they're not known to be master mathemeticians).  

Buddy of mine was a cop and my longtime gunsmith before

he died. He often had to go to court on traffic BS. He said if you're gonna have to do braking distance, speed, etc. you better be able do show how you did it on a chalkboard. No calculators. The defense attorneys just had to say "How do you know that calculator is working properly?"

JHC

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