How to do 'Common Core' Math

The truth about 'Common Core' math in Alabama is that there is no such thing as a Common Core math problem. Alabama uses something called College and Career Ready standards, and the truth is there are many ways students can solve problems. In this video, an Alabama teacher explains a few ways kids today are being taught to do math in Alabama schools.

Editor's note: A previous version of this video incorrectly showed the sum of 760 and 228 as 998. The correct sum is 988. It has been fixed.

[TheCattyKid]

The more I look at and "learn" common core math the more i realized that this is how i actually think when it comes to "solving" math problems...the only PROBLEM with teaching this is that this is inherently learned once you become proficient in solving using the traditional ways...if this is taught separately then there is where the confusion lies because you are COMPARING rather than learning then adapting. Common Core is the "bi-product" or "after-market" concept that you come to understand once you have the complete understanding of the traditional method. This is not something that should really be taught as a separate concept but rather a different way of thinking (if you want to allow yourself to think that way) but IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE TO MAKE COMMON CORE ANOTHER STANDARD.

[GTA]

As a practicing electrical engineer, that area model method is about as useful as a hole in the head.

[lebro]

an idiot admires complexity a genius admires simplicity
- Terry Davis

[KreeZafi]

Okay so if some students need these extra steps to understand, why don't you just teach the quick and easy method first and then if some kids don't get it you give them the extra instruction? I feel like school so often appeals to the lowest level and adapts to the weakest students. Of course you should help the ones that struggle, but don't bring the whole class down to that level, help the struggling kids separately! When you bring down the whole class you are just screwing over the kids who have an easier time with it.

I feel that the school system often fails the students who do well. Having been that kid myself, the one who was several grades ahead, I felt terribly neglected. The ones who struggled may roll their eyes, "oh woe is me for thinking school was too easy!" or whatever, I get it. But the fact of the matter is that the kids at the top of the class are understimulated and that can negatively affect their performance too. When the teacher takes half an hour to explain something that could have been explained to you in five minutes you very quickly lose interest and get bored, you're unable to focus in class because it feels like they're just rambling on and on about something obvious, everything feels incredibly pointless because you're just mechanically working through the problems instead of actually having to stop and think and actually learn something. It is actually detrimental. There should be systems in place to help the students who struggle while also giving the top students a chance to get ahead and stay stimulated instead of holding them back.

[ShroomKeppie]

See, here's the thing: if this was a better way to learn arithmetic, then US scores would have gotten better since it was introduced, not worse. The one thing "educators" never do is actually test to determine whether a method teaches better or not.

For example, in that "38 X 26" problem, one of the boxes had "30" and "8" on the top and "20" and "6" on the left side, and then showed that 20 X 30 = 600, and 20 X 8 = 160, and 6 X 30 = 180, and finally 8 X 6 = 48. Then the answer 988 appears and Yay! Common Core.

But wait! How is 20 X 30 shown to be 600? You can't do that in Common Core, apparently. If you draw a box with 30 and 0 on the top and 20 and 0 on the left side, you just end up. having to know -- somehow -- that 20 X 30 = 600. The concept of "place" and "decimals" seems to be missing.

I think what's missing is the ability of today's elementary teachers to explain these perfectly simple ways of because they don't understand them, either. Multiplying 38 X 26 is simple if you understand place; 1s, 10s, 100s, etc.; and "showing your work" is just the writing down of the intermediate steps.

1 4
38 38 X 6 = 30x6 + 8x6 = 180 + 48 = 228
x 26 38 X 20 = 30x20 + 8x20 = 600 + 160 = 760

22 8
76 228 + 760 = 200+700 + 20+60 + 8+0 = 900+80+8 = 988

988

Recognizing and maintaining the proper place of each numeral in the 1s, 10s, 100s, etc, is the concept most important. "Slipping a decimal point" is the bane of everyone doing any calculations, and this version of arithmetic teaches that, whereas the Common Core appears not to.

[benchapple]

I've taught a lot of kids fractions. I just go for the algebraic solution immediately. I get them to agree that x divided by x is equal to 1, and x times 1 is equal to x. That's it! Then I show them how to add any two fractions and they get it instantly and never have a problem again. The kids are usually about 8 years old. Why do teachers need to make things so complex when they aren't?

[DavJoKi]

So how many little boxes do you need to do common core calculus?

[codyfsw]

Growing up i was taught a classical form of math and literally found these methods out by trying to understand them viscerally in my head. It may seem unnecessarily complicated to people who have trained the other way, but thats just because you dont think about math enough to explore exactly how the mechanics work.

[johnfunk]

If there is no hard common standard why are students down graded for not using the methodology?

[popelgruner]

The visualisation part would actually have helped me as a child.
I was always good in geometry and recognising patterns but struggled with fractions.

[EliteTrainingForBasketball]

This is horrible. I can't believe this is how they teach math nowadays.

[hootax]

What happens when a student understands the traditional way and not the area model? In my case, the area model is much harder to understand. Don't cast a wide blanket and say that the new way is better for everyone.

[wimahlers]

The area model. Splendid. Try to use this area model method using the following problem:
233/401 + 473/767 = ?

I don't know how you solve this easily with the area model. But I can easily solve this by multiplying both fractions with 1 to create a common denominator. As illustrated below (in some detail):

a) 401/401 = 1.
b) 767/767 = 1.
a) and b) are used to create a common denominator.

1*(233/401) = 233/401.
Substituting 1 by b) gives: (767/767 )*(233/401) = 233/401
Which is equal to: (767*233)/(767*401)

Likewise (but now substituting 1 by a)): (401*473)/(767*401) = 473/767

The orginal summation can now be written as:
(767*233)/(767*401) + (401*473)/(767*401)
Now both equations have the same denominator. And the summation can therefore be rewritten as:
 (767*233 + 401*473)/(767*401)
Problem solved.

Short version:
So how do you solve all of these fractional addition problems?
Simple. Create a common denominator. Then add the numerators.

[jonnyreverb]

Sure... Show them the area method as an infographic, but giving them an entirely different method to learn is doubling the work.

[craigroberts]

Or just open the calculator on your phone.

[walbertjenkinson]

So all the years where I had to "show your work" to get credit for a correct answer were for nothing? Now there's 1000 different ways to get to the right answer, do it however you want. If I scribbled down the weird math I did in my head to solve the problem, I wouldn't get credit for a correct answer even if the final product was correct. It was a means of proving you understood how to apply the fundamental procedures being taught, not just get the right answer. Pretty obvious this is the dumbing down of the curriculum and lowering the standards so that our test scores look better on the world stage. Good luck dummies 👍

[ratherbfishing]

My Japanese doctor thinks American schools are horrible and children are stupid. I agree. Teach like the greatest generation. Memorize

[iraology]

pls help me understand what the fuss is about over “common core math” cos this is how students in asia are taught math from kindergarten to early elementary :/

[Packaroo]

Common core poop is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

[namenloses]

wait... thats new? We learned in german schools for years o.O