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As someone who is from outside the US, and only occasionally exposed to common core via hatred on reddit, hn, etc., I would like to ask: what is the deal with i

As someone who is from outside the US, and only occasionally exposed to common core via hatred on reddit, hn, etc., I would like to ask: what is the deal with it? I am kind of having trouble understanding what exactly it is. The examples I see about it are usually extremely simple to the point of having no information or testing ability, and others are just batshit insane like your example.

gs17 3y ago
The hatred is mostly from it forcing specific strategies for simple tasks. The intent is to help students gain better intuition for math and gain multiple problem solving tools. But you end up with children who didn't understand the lesson taking homework to their parents who know a "simpler" way not understanding what's being asked for and everyone getting frustrated. I fully understand, in school my issue was always getting marked down for not being able to show my work for mental math. A lot of the bad examples of it you'll see are just poor teaching (e.g. the "3 x 5 can't be 5 + 5 + 5, it's 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3" image), and we had that before Common Core. That guy's "batshit insane" example is just a slightly obtuse word problem.
- entropi 3y ago
  Hmmm. Does it help, though? I mean is there any actual evidence that it works? I tend to be a bit sceptical when it comes to "innovations" in the education field, so I am also trying to be mindful of my own bias here, but so far I was not able to make sense of things that I have seen, or got a glimpse of any deeper intuition. And I went to grad school for applied maths. Maybe I am too old? Or maybe I already got the intuition they were trying to convey? Or maybe I was not exposed to this stuff enough to say? Could be any of these I guess. > just a slightly obtuse word problem Heh, I was imagining it was about overlapping arrangements that are divided equally or something. So is it really just asking for 6? In that case yes, its not really insane, just questionably worded.
  - Izkata 3y ago
    > Or maybe I already got the intuition they were trying to convey? If you pull out a calculator to multiply two 3-digit numbers and get back a 4-digit number, are you going to trust the calculator or are you going to go "wait a minute..." and double check you entered it right? If the latter, you probably already have the intuition it's supposed to teach. Edit: Or for something a bit more every-day: You're at a store and buy something that costs $6.24, pay with a $20, and get back $6.62. You may not know exactly what you were supposed to get back, but you do immediately know without having to do the math that it was definitely more than that.
  - secabeen 3y ago
    As a parent of a kid in a well-run Common Core program, yes. The goal appears to be to teach numeracy and concepts beyond just the rote application of formulaic solutions. When it's done well, you get students who can come at a problem from multiple directions, allowing progress even when they can't necessarily apply one solution correctly.

gs17 3y ago

The hatred is mostly from it forcing specific strategies for simple tasks. The intent is to help students gain better intuition for math and gain multiple problem solving tools. But you end up with children who didn't understand the lesson taking homework to their parents who know a "simpler" way not understanding what's being asked for and everyone getting frustrated. I fully understand, in school my issue was always getting marked down for not being able to show my work for mental math. A lot of the bad examples of it you'll see are just poor teaching (e.g. the "3 x 5 can't be 5 + 5 + 5, it's 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3" image), and we had that before Common Core. That guy's "batshit insane" example is just a slightly obtuse word problem.

entropi 3y ago
Hmmm. Does it help, though? I mean is there any actual evidence that it works? I tend to be a bit sceptical when it comes to "innovations" in the education field, so I am also trying to be mindful of my own bias here, but so far I was not able to make sense of things that I have seen, or got a glimpse of any deeper intuition. And I went to grad school for applied maths. Maybe I am too old? Or maybe I already got the intuition they were trying to convey? Or maybe I was not exposed to this stuff enough to say? Could be any of these I guess. > just a slightly obtuse word problem Heh, I was imagining it was about overlapping arrangements that are divided equally or something. So is it really just asking for 6? In that case yes, its not really insane, just questionably worded.
- Izkata 3y ago
  > Or maybe I already got the intuition they were trying to convey? If you pull out a calculator to multiply two 3-digit numbers and get back a 4-digit number, are you going to trust the calculator or are you going to go "wait a minute..." and double check you entered it right? If the latter, you probably already have the intuition it's supposed to teach. Edit: Or for something a bit more every-day: You're at a store and buy something that costs $6.24, pay with a $20, and get back $6.62. You may not know exactly what you were supposed to get back, but you do immediately know without having to do the math that it was definitely more than that.
- secabeen 3y ago
  As a parent of a kid in a well-run Common Core program, yes. The goal appears to be to teach numeracy and concepts beyond just the rote application of formulaic solutions. When it's done well, you get students who can come at a problem from multiple directions, allowing progress even when they can't necessarily apply one solution correctly.