Elsina Ericson teaches Algebra II at Granger High School in West Valley City.
Ravell Call, Deseret News
Our take: The new Utah Core standards is moving to a new approach that requires more concepts taught in math, less memorization. The standards will now focus much more on the reasoning, the process, and the different ways to solve a problem.
No doubt you have tried to help your child with their math homework this past year, but it looks different than the way you used to do it.
The new Utah Core standards have changed math instruction to include less memorizing and more concepts.
Remember the emphasis on flash cards, the multiplication tables, speed drills and even the word "borrowing" from your youth? Forget all that; for the most part, it's being replaced.
"The questions parents have about math instruction changing, they are absolutely right, it is changing," said David Smith, the elementary mathematics specialist at the Utah State Office of Education.
Read more about New ways of teaching math focus on concepts, not memorization on KSL.
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Good math teachers have always emphasized more than just memorization. Successful math students realize the need for more than just memorization.
That's the view of one who taught math for 40 years.
I can remember a time in education when you didn't memorize anything but how to do the math. You learn math and science and all learning by doing and repetition because we do not have photographic memories or implanted microchips, but we do have More..
What rubbish.
Memorization is focused study, and great for learning.
Skilled doctors, engineers, chemists, etc-have been doing this for years. We've got to stop watering down the curriculum.
I hope my doctor, or More..