Math should be made as simple as possible.
After, all, kids are not little mathematicians; they are novices, so simplicity is best. But, over the years, reformers have made basic arithmetic much more complicated than it should be, cluttering it with "standards for mathematical practice (for experts)" and a host of "alternative, nonstandard algorithms." Kids are not experts; they are beginners.
Reform math is popular among educators and impacts instruction in most of our schools. Critical thinking is stressed over facts. Memorization of facts and drills to build arithmetic skills are considered old-fashioned and not good teaching. The reformers are wrong, of course.
An example of reform math is Eureka Math. It is a version of Common Core and the same as EngageNY, but Eureka produced student and teacher materials. The 3rd-grade Teacher Editions consisting of the seven modules, if put together, measure 6 inches thick. For example, Module 7 Teacher Edition is over 500 pages long, Module 5 is over 400 pages long, and Module 1 and Module 2 are each over 300 pages long. It is reform math run amok. The reform math curriculum is overcrowded and often pushes standard arithmetic to the back burner. For example, in 1st-grade Eureka math, the memorization of addition facts is not an objective, and the standard algorithm is missing. In 3rd-grade Eureka math, the standard algorithms for both multiplication and long division are missing. Instead, students focus on alternative algorithms. Most students do not memorize the single-digit multiplication facts for long-term memory recall. In short, mastering essential content is not the aim of reform math.
In contrast, we should articulate the specific content students need to learn (i.e., master), not a bunch of low-value stuff that clutters the curriculum. We should focus on the mastery of essential content, not test-based proficiency. The problem has been that many elementary teachers don't know what the essentials are anymore. Many are, themselves, the products of reform math from K-12 schools to Schools of Education and PD (i.e., Professional Development).
Teachers are required to follow the curriculum handed to them, even if it is lousy. Unfortunately, in many reform math programs, teachers are bogged down with teaching tenets of "mathematical practice" and alternative algorithms. They tell me they have to teach x (e.g., a nonstandard, alternative algorithm) because x is on the state test. In the real world, one uses x to perform the algorithm. They use the standard algorithm, which not taught or marginalized. Therefore, many students never master the basics.
Teaching to items-on-the-test is a fragmented and incomplete curriculum. We are fixated on metrics (test scores), transparency, and accountability. We punish schools, teachers, and students who do not meet state standards.
I like some of the ideas in Eureka Math, but the curriculum is cluttered, and test-based, and does not get kids where they need to be. The basics are not valued.
To make curriculum decisions, we should look at results, not a methodology. Performance matters! Reform math is a messed up methodology that hasn't worked well for decades.
© 2018 LT/ThinkAlgebra
