One of the wonders of the world is why math reform in the US has never seriously happened. It's as if traditional maths is part of the original US Constitution that cannot be changed. Recent commentaries such as this one in the
NYTimes and this one also in the
NYTimes begin to shed light on just what it is that causes this state of affairs. In spite of the overwhelming research evidence
(e.g. Jo Boaler) that helping children understand math and not just memorize it is by far the best approach there are constant cries for "back to basics" and the traditional approach of memorizing facts and formulas.
So, for everyone who thinks this return to basics is the way to go here's a test to see how well you know the math that children are expected to know in 2015.
1. What is counting?
2. What is addition?
3. What is multiplication?
4. What is division?
5. What is Pi?
6. What does the 0 mean in 308?
7. What is 1/2 divided by 1/4?
8. Make up a word problem for # 7 above.
9. What do you get when you reduce 4/8?
10. Why do you put a comma after every three digits in a large number?
11. What is area?
12. What is a degree measure in geometry?
Answers next week.
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