Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Common Core math - how can they be so stupid

One of the goals of the Obumbler admin is to try to find a way for their supporters to get jobs no matter if their ignorant or criminals. This is one of the ways for them to achieve that.

Obama panders to his union supporters and if the teachers unions were opposed to common core he would put a stop to it. They don't primarily because it achieves a goal of the progressive fascist ideology which is to turn out good little progressive fascist students.

Limbaugh had a parody several years ago about this very thing. It was funny at the time because of its absurdity.

As I said, if you don't understand why........ thinking 4 x 3 = 11 can only exist when they don't understand that 4 x 3 is 4 "threes". Being able to hear them explain their 4 "threes" (or 3 "fours") insures that they know the concept. There are way too many things known and used these days where an understanding should exist, but doesn't. Regardless what one thinks about Common Core, if you don't support that notion, you probably shouldn't be discussing education/learning anyway.

Consider these two comments or statements. If the former is true, how then can any student, whether 9, 49, or 99 years old, effectively explain an incorrect answer to that example? It would be impossible. The absurdity of the situation is probably why it was used for an example. It can't be done. Therefore it demonstrates the importance of the understanding. It's quite easy - and common- to incorrectly memorize facts by rote. Without understanding the why, one must rely on outside sources for correction. Of course, the opposite is true as well. There are undoubtedly many reasons and ways to attack Common Core. Using that as an example ain't one of them.

As my ol'man once told me, "why is a dangerous question sometimes."

It really doesn't matter why 3x4=12, it just does.

The trick to life is learning when the question "why?" is appropriate.

You were well taught.

I'm looking around for one. Do you know any specifics offhand? thanks in advance.

(and I agree. For the motivated student, times have never been better. For the non-motivated, well, plenty more ways for them to "slip through the cracks."

big fat NJEA member +1 on that.


(i feel a little dirty even typing NJEA Member. Ew. There it is again.)

In a sense, there is at least a teachable moment in all this nonsense. I seriously doubt the CORE curric authors know why.

12.3 + 1 = 13 (sig figs)

1 + 3 = 180 (units)

Are you arguing for or against Common Core? I've had some bad math teachers and some good. The former knew and loved the subject, but couldn't or wouldn't answer questions which enabled understanding. The latter understood how and why things worked as they did, and what they were good for. They made the learning processes much easier and useful. Some of the dumbest students and people I know are math whizzes. There is a big difference between the folks who understand and comprehend, and those who run blindly headlong through life.

Too many people don't ask "why" or care. Therefore, Obama is our president; he just is.

I expect a student to understand and be able to explain why five times six is thirty. What I'm against is the lowering of "at their fingertips" expectations. Students should be able to provide certain answers quickly and correctly without having to think about why every time.

It would have been a real bitch for me if I had to prove Lebesgue's dominated convergence theorem every time I used it.

100% agreement there. Too many kids can't do the simple, in-your-head math quickly because they haven't memorized the important stuff. And I sure wouldn't expect to hear the "why" of everything a student did, but hearing "why" when they aren't getting it can often pinpoint their misunderstandings. It's kind of like getting the fact that 10 to the 0 power equals 1. Seeing the pattern of decimal movement surely helps to explain the "why" well enough to understand that it isn't zero as is often stated at first blush.

I figure any kid who can make 3 x 4 = 11, and explain it logically to a competent teacher, is either much smarter than any math teacher I've known, or is proving the inadequacy of the teacher who would accept that as an answer. I would surely not put my money on the former.

Anyone ever read the book. "Brave new world". So many similarities

+ 1 from NC

Read again what I said about the trick to life being knowing WHEN to ask why. You're taking my words in a context to make a point. But it doesn't work.

I'm not arguing for or against Core. I'm saying the trick to it is knowing WHEN it's an appropriate theory to teach.

Until a child has memorized the very basics of math, it's pointless

If you have ever taught even the basics of math to a variety of kids, you know that some of them need to see "how and why" in order to accept "the facts". I have no problem with that because I'm one of them....show me, don't tell me!

Because math can be an abstract thing, knowing why can be an important hurdle. Some people accept what they are told without questioning why. Math and Obama are very different obviously. However, the idea of questioning is obviously important to some more than others in either case. If math is indeed "one of the absolutes of nature," there should be no threat in questioning it. You cannot change an absolute. Therefore asking "why", explaining "why", and knowing "why" are absolutely zero threat to it. Period. The only reason anyone should get their feathers ruffled about some kid explaining how 3 x 4 = 11 is if that person actually believes it could be done. We both know it can't. The kids explanation would obviously have holes in it. Big deal. It's the teacher's job to help them understand the concepts correctly.

If this is the best argument that Fox or anyone else can come up with against Common Core, we're in trouble...or CC ain't all that bad.

I am sick and tired of the same old saw from all ends of the media spectrum. Keep stuff in context. Flawed ideas don't have to be taken out of context, cherry-picked, or sound-bited.

Ok. I'll show you.

3x4=12.

Did you? I have no idea why or how.

But at least it was a little funny. Should have been anyway.

Look, I'm no math wiz. But I am a parent. And I can tell you one thing I've noticed over the years. The kids don't know the basics. They want to advance them so far so fast, that a number of kids can't keep up due to no solid foundation in the basics.

If this were something they wanted to introduce to high school kids that were doing well, fine. But they want to change the way kids are taught from the start.

I don't necessarily disagree that it needs to be changed. It just needs to go back to what it was decades ago. Build a solid foundation in basics and move from there.

If math is a constant, and doesn't ever change, why do we keep changing the way it's taught? Why do you feel this need to be told WHY 3x4=12? Is it really that hard to accept that it does?