Bad Argument! Stay Down!

Last week I got a little too involved with an anti Common Core post that went viral.

Thanks to Boing Boing for pointing me to this blogger who explained the misconceptions surrounding that post.

On Facebook, I argued that the photo looked to be a lesson on mental math and that the reasons to teach mental math are more-than-reasonable.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg on this. This photo is an unethical persuasive text for all kinds of reasons.

Misrepresenting the Education Process:
The photo is a parent's reproduction of one part of a lesson, but it is presented as though it is the end product of a math lesson.
Uncool.
This photo uses a simple math problem to show how kids can learn a new problem-solving strategy. Then once they get the strategy, it can be used to solve more complex problems.
Decidedly cool.

Misrepresenting the Common Core:
How many times are we going to have to repeat it: The Common Core is not a list of lessons that must be taught. It is a set of standards that students should meet. How teachers get students to meet those standards is not dictated by the Common Core.
Now, you could critique the decision to set new standards without showing teachers how to reach those standards, but that is a different debate - one we can't even have if people don't understand the basics of the program.

Misrepresenting Progress in Education:
Many of the commenters who shared this photo asked some variation of "Why should kids learn a new version of math? The math I learned works just fine."
This line of reasoning infuriates me, because it suggests that there is no place for innovation or improvement in education.
The thinking behind mental math is great: Rather than memorize processes for doing math, students should learn the meaning of the functions they perform.
That is a new(ish) idea in math education. We want students to be comfortable with numbers and to be "math literate," but the old way did not promote those things. So we're creating new and better ways to teach.

One Facebook response to my comment was a person saying that any success he's had in life is in spite of his school experience. And that's a reasonable thing to say. I think a lot of people feel that way. Neil deGrasse Tyson said he feels that way in a recent interview. But isn't that all the more reason to encourage change and innovation?