(Submitted by Becky Thorson, Grant Wood AEA Math Consultant)
Did you attend your student’s last parent-teacher conference only to find yourself asking, “What’s up with this ‘new math’ anyway?” Do you question why your student’s homework looks nothing like it looked when you were a student? If so, you are one of many parents and/or caregivers who have found themselves asking these very same questions.
Mike Flynn of Mount Holyoke University has the answers parents and caregivers are looking for in this recorded math chat titled "What Happened to Math Class?" The hour-long video (shared below) is divided into segments that can be watched in smaller increments of time. Simply hover your cursor over the progress bar to see the segment titles, then click on a dot to jump to a particular segment. For your convenience links are added below.
- Segment 1: Sorting through the Misinformation
- Segment 2: Unplugging from the Matrix of Math
- Segment 3: Lost in Boston: The Illusion of Understanding
- Segment 4: Understanding What it is Like to be a Student
- Segment 5: Concrete, Representational, and Abstract Thinkers
- Segment 6: Fostering Adaptive Reasoning
- Segment 7: How to Support Your Student’s Learning
Be prepared to uncover the “secrets” of the “new math” (Spoiler alert: It’s not new at all!) and have your thinking challenged in ways that will keep you wanting to know more!