Common Core Math (CCM) Practice Standard 5

Opinion – CCM Politics

I am well aware that some parents have chosen to fight against CCM standards.  Protesting the teaching of CCM does not seem helpful to me; however, I have not been involved either in teaching public-school math or in formulating the standards. If you have had these experiences and can show that CCM is an inferior approach, I trust that your criticisms will be constructive, designed to help improve the standards or the teaching of those standards. If you are not part of such an insider group, blaming the standards on big government, a political party, or unions strikes me as changing the subject and quite beside the point.

There is no agreement regarding who “won the battle” to make CCM a national standard. Proponents and opponents can each claim partial success. However, this begs the question of whether learning CCM benefits students. Moreover, the opposition has only the most rudimentary idea of how to replace it. In any event, even if the “I-hate-common-core” side knew exactly how to replace it with something better, by the time they achieved their goal, the affected children would have moved on.

Given that so many states have adopted (or adapted) CC Math standards, I believe that, rather than resist, a better choice is to help our children learn the standards. However, I will offer these observations:

1)      The transition from one pedagogical approach to another is inherently difficult. If we learned to eat meat the good old American way, by stabilizing it with a fork using the left hand and cutting it with a knife using the right hand (for right-handed people), putting down the knife, picking up the fork with the right hand, using the fork to transfer the cut piece from plate to mouth, and then transferring the fork to the left hand to restart the process, we may find it awkward at first to change to the more efficient European approach: i.e., simply holding the knife in the right hand and the fork in the left throughout the cutting and eating process. 

2)      Learning the standards is not the same thing as learning to solve problems. Therefore, I will continue to emphasize a process for problem-solving.

3)      A growth mindset and practice will be required for you and your children to learn new methods to perform familiar tasks in math. If math were easy, we would not need to study it.

4)      One issue regarding the transition to CCM arose very early on: since standards at one grade are built on those from the previous grade, asking teachers and students to make the transition to CC Math standards at all grades simultaneously was unrealistic. This should no longer be a concern.

5)      A real concern is whether, having mastered CCM, a student is prepared for the information age and the world of computers and computer programs. I suggest that we cannot rely entirely on math education to prepare students to engage productively in the modern world of technology, especially since technology evolves faster than formal education. Rather, we (as guides, parents, and teachers) must be alert to what students need and help them to fill in gaps in their formal education (including CCM). This must be a team effort.

CCM Lesson of the day: CCM Practice Standard 5

Use appropriate tools strategically.

“Mathematically proficient students consider the available tools when solving a mathematical problem. These tools might include pencil and paper, concrete models, a ruler, a protractor, a calculator, a spreadsheet, a computer algebra system, a statistical package, or dynamic geometry software. Proficient students are sufficiently familiar with tools appropriate for their grade or course to make sound decisions about when each of these tools might be helpful, recognizing both the insight to be gained and their limitations. For example, mathematically proficient high school students analyze graphs of functions and solutions generated using a graphing calculator. They detect possible errors by strategically using estimation and other mathematical knowledge. When making mathematical models, they know that technology can enable them to visualize the results of varying assumptions, explore consequences, and compare predictions with data. Mathematically proficient students at various grade levels are able to identify relevant external mathematical resources, such as digital content located on a website, and use them to pose or solve problems. They are able to use technological tools to explore and deepen their understanding of concepts.”

My Comment

This step suggests that rulers, protractors, compasses, calculators, computer programs, spreadsheets, programming languages, etc., are useful when they are useful. It also suggests that knowing how and when to use these tools builds problem-solving capability.

Process implications:

·         Learn to use tools, particularly computer programs such as spreadsheets.

·         Use tools to verify problem solutions generated in other ways.

Definitions

Digital content: refers to information stored in a computer system.

Applications and Examples

Use a spreadsheet to record a baseball team’s batting records and compute averages.

Use a spreadsheet to construct a vacation plan including

1.      Things to assemble and pack for the trip

2.      Tasks for each family member and when they must be done

3.      A travel schedule showing dates, destinations, distances, and means of travel

4.      Math activities to be performed during the trip 😊