Pat McGonigle of KSDK writes about the changes that have occurred in math curriculum in recent years across the country. With the advent of the Common Core approach, students are now learning how to use their mathematical skills in a more systematic way that differs from how their parents learned.
Thought math procedures were like learning how to ride a bike? Guess again.
Common Core is forcing parents to relearn math to help their children.
This new approach to math learning demands that students arrive at answers instead of simply memorizing answers such as multiplication tables. The key element of this approach is to have students truly understand how the answers are constructed. However, because parents did not learn this way during their time in school, they need to relearn these concepts as well to help their kids when it comes time to do homework.
So parents in the Hazelwood District can sign up for crash courses on the new methods. And it’s not just math– there’s college readiness even cooking—and it’s not just parents.
Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert
Key takeaways
- Common Core math standards are still a hot topic for debate.
- Some parents have trouble helping their students with this new math.
- Teachers say that the new math standards are working.
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