“New Math” Put In Its Place

When I lived in Nevada, I suffered through this “revolutionary” math systems with my sister’s homework.

The process was cumbersome, complicated, and unintuitive. Often, “new math” didn’t produce the correct answer; a ton of special rules needed to be created to solve the flaws in the process (though, for the record, I am in favor of teaching different base systems; but not as a replacment for base 10.)

Well, I’m glad people are starting to catch on, and are realizing that a new system is not necessary a better one.

Below is an entertaining video that lays down the convoluted process of “new math” subtraction. I love it when he says, “In the new approach, as you know, it is more important to understand what you are doing then to get the right answer.”



It is connected to the dryer but more informative: Math Education, an Inconvenient Truth

-Ryan

P.S.---I also like this guys rendition of the elements Here.