Just to sidebar back to the Common Core debate...
I have a three year old son, so it'll be awhile yet before I have to play proxy math teacher.
I'm a strong advocate for progressive science and understanding. Even when I was in high school, I figured most of the stuff they were feeding us was misunderstood or outright BS because I know we are in a constant pursuit of true knowledge of all facets of our world, so believe me when I say that creating new standards or methods of teaching any given subject are typically a-ok with me.
My problem with the Common Core method would lie with those students who aren't grasping it. E.g. if my son was having a hard time grasping the Common Core method, I would expect his teacher(s) to be doing anything they could to help him achieve understanding, because gods know I'd be useless at it. If you're going to introduce new methods of teaching and stir up the older established methods that we parents have been teaching our own children ourselves from day one, then you'd damn well better be prepared to back up and reinforce those methods when someone doesn't get it. By all means, provide my son with a newer, different understanding of mathematical concepts. But by those same means, make absolutely sure he can understand them.
I have a three year old son, so it'll be awhile yet before I have to play proxy math teacher.
I'm a strong advocate for progressive science and understanding. Even when I was in high school, I figured most of the stuff they were feeding us was misunderstood or outright BS because I know we are in a constant pursuit of true knowledge of all facets of our world, so believe me when I say that creating new standards or methods of teaching any given subject are typically a-ok with me.
My problem with the Common Core method would lie with those students who aren't grasping it. E.g. if my son was having a hard time grasping the Common Core method, I would expect his teacher(s) to be doing anything they could to help him achieve understanding, because gods know I'd be useless at it. If you're going to introduce new methods of teaching and stir up the older established methods that we parents have been teaching our own children ourselves from day one, then you'd damn well better be prepared to back up and reinforce those methods when someone doesn't get it. By all means, provide my son with a newer, different understanding of mathematical concepts. But by those same means, make absolutely sure he can understand them.
