Math Education: An Inconvenient Truth

M.J. McDermott is speaking about the current state of math education, as a private citizen . KCPQ does not endorse this video.

Math Education: An Inconvenient Truth

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[lotharamious]

11:45.

Math is the foundation of most thought processes, even ideas and topics not including math directly. At this stage of learning, knowing the mechanics is just as important as the "thought process". The young mind has troubles with critical thinking and cannot be expected to properly "reason" through arithmetic as these alternative methods encourage.

[eugelu11]

I don't live in the usa, so when she said if we believed students should be fluent in math by 5th grade I said no, because that is WAY to late, I started learning the multiplication tables at school towards the end of 1st grade and learned the thing they are showing there in 2nd, so by 3rd we were all done with it, and moving to thing such like fractions in the 4th grade or percentages between 4th and 5th

[David Eckstrom]

I just see someone who doesn't like change. Most of us no longer teach our children how to find and kill rabbits as a life skill because it will be irrelevant to their lives. Same with these paper and pencil algorithms. Let's face it, computing devices aren't going away. Let's teach our kids what the arithmetic means, not how to turn the paper-and-pencil crank. Kids can't make change in their heads? Who cares? Nobody has to anymore. Free up the brain space for something they'll need.

[Simon Parmar]

Amazing. The last method used in her division problem was exactly the same way as the Ancient Egyptians used,

Secondly, David Beckham was criticised for not being able to help his children with their maths problems. The new way of teaching arithmetic in the UK baffles all adults.

I think these methods are taught because it is trendy to do so.

[Leslie Howard]

The Education Freedom Coalition has done extensive research in which curriculum companies align and which ones don't. (it wouldn't let me insert the web address...but just do an internet search for this and you should hopefully find it) I was really frustrated when I found out that the homeschool math workbooks my son had been using all year included some common core. I will be very careful from now on.

[Leslie Howard]

Be careful...a lot of the homeschool books are aligning to common core. Even the Singapore ones that she mentioned are 100% aligned. If you don't agree with common core, then you should research and make sure you find out which ones align and which ones don't. :) Happy Homeschooling!! :)

[VNJon]

That college professor was not exaggerating. I tutored math in college. I had to teach many of the students to add, subtract, multiply and divide before I could tutor them in algebra. Some literally could not add 4+9 without using their fingers.

At Winco markets, the cashiers are not only told how much to give back in change...it gives them PICTURES of each bill and coin and tells them how many to give of each.

We are teaching students NOTHING and creating an illiterate generation.

[Elaine Rudis Jackson]

Now I know why the math curriculum that comes with the virtual charter school my boys have been attending has been driving me crazy!! We are leaving it to independently homeschool next year; and I'm going to have to do some remedial work with my 5th grader this summer to help him overcome the deficits left by this curriculum. Ugh.

[Adam Feder]

אני למדתי מתמטיקה מספרים רוסיים יש נים ..

ספרים של אוספים של מאות תרגילים

תרגול זה "שם המשחק" !

תרגול מאסיבי !

[TheExcellence2000]

M.J. McDermott - You are so arrogant. Do you get something from the people who sell the Singapore's books?

[Ryan Haley]

If it takes this long to perform basic multiplication, how low would a one page calculus solution take? 5 pages?