In addition to a brief outline of what kids should learn in each grade, they include eight standards for mathematical practice that frame how to do math. They were meant as simply a short list of concepts that would prompt teachers to spend more time on core mathematical ideas and would be common across states. But they were not meant to be political, Bay-Williams said. When the Obama administration offered benefits to states that adopted the Core, the standards took on a partisan edge. “There are a lot of teachers that lack grace with parents who don’t understand.” Allonda Hawkins, parentĮducators and mathematicians pushed for states to adopt Common Core math in hopes of moving away from a curriculum that was “a mile wide and an inch deep” and focusing more on big ideas, said Bay-Williams. To fully grasp deeper mathematical concepts, “students need to think about what makes sense and build on what they learn.” “There’s not just one way to solve a problem,” said Megan Burton, president of the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators and associate professor of elementary education at Auburn University in Alabama. While some parents believe these methods are just a more complicated way of teaching math, they are designed to promote a deeper understanding of the subject and help students make lasting connections. (And most states now follow standards with the same principles, whether or not they call them Common Core.) Instead of memorizing procedures to solve problems, kids are now asked to think through various ways to arrive at an answer and then explain their strategies. It’s grounded in research going back more than 30 years and is reflected in the Common Core State Standards, which are used in 41 states. The new approach is actually not all that new. Positive parental help could make the difference between students being excited about math or falling behind during the pandemic, said Jennifer Bay-Williams, co-author of “Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally” and professor of education at the University of Louisville. Credit: Michelle MajdochĮxperts say it’s important for parents to know the basic ideas behind the current methods if they are going to help their kids. Her older sisters have already moved on to Algebra 2 and pre-calculus. Sylvia Majdoch, 9, pictured here during a remote school day at her home in Florida, is the fourth in her family to take on math using the principles of Common Core.
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