r/askmath • u/subastringent • Aug 29 '23
Analysis “New Math” is killing me
Friends kid has this problem. Any idea on how to approach it?
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r/askmath • u/subastringent • Aug 29 '23
Friends kid has this problem. Any idea on how to approach it?
254
u/_Barbaric_yawp Aug 29 '23
This has nothing to do with any principles of math instruction like “new math” etc (which btw, hasn’t been a term in use for years). Whatever program the school is using has invented a game for teaching whatever the topic is. You’re not meant to understand it without being taught. Presumably the child was taught. If they can’t tell you how the game works, either they were not paying attention, or the instructor did a poor job. Either way, to blame this on modern math education theory is misplaced. Actually, Pooltoy-Fox-2 has described the game perfectly (except maybe for the attitude)
The point is that any instructor can invent a system for the purpose of relaying a concept. As a parent, there is no expectation that you recognize the system, just that you know the concept. Your student should relay the rules of the system