Common Core

[Joshua Farrell]

So, with those who knows about common core, what do you think of it? Is it a good thing for national education standards, or is it bad? Why?

 

[Gamer Outpost]

I don't like the concept of national education standards at all, especially when the standards are crap. The American education system has evolved into teaching so much unnecessary fluff it's not even funny.

 

[Thomasss]

Common Core is horrible, whoever came up with it needs help, more than just educational help.

My sister had it for her school year last year and there are more ways to add 2+2 now than there was when I was learning the one way, you add 2+3.....

Don't even get me started on the whole test taking and English classes she had. Common Core is the most idiotic curriculum that you could make. There is only one way to add and subtract, not 5 or 6.

 

[Deleted member 7467]

Common Core is horrible, whoever came up with it needs help, more than just educational help.

My sister had it for her school year last year and there are more ways to add 2+2 now than there was when I was learning the one way, you add 2+3.....

Don't even get me started on the whole test taking and English classes she had. Common Core is the most idiotic curriculum that you could make. There is only one way to add and subtract, not 5 or 6.

Your brain and my brain might work this way but there's a lot of children who actually do benefit considerably from alternate methods. While I don't agree fully with Common Core (this is coming from a teacher), your argument is unfounded.

Let's take for instance adding and subtracting. You say there's only one way to add/subtract, not 5 or 6. There's multiple ways to go about doing something. The goal is the same however.

Student 1 is having a hard time with cut and dry math. The teacher uses counting cubes to show how to add. The student is given 5 red cubes and 6 blue cubes. The student actually is able to piece together there are 11 pieces total made up of both blue and red.

Student 2 likes to think of patterns. The student is handed the same amount of cubes as student 1. In this case, the student adds them by realizing 5+5=10 plus 1 more gives you 11. Once again, different than student 1 but entirely viable and gives the same result.

Student 3 is a bit more advanced and connects multiplication with adding. The student is given the same amount of cubes as the other two students but asks for one more red cube. The student pieces together that he now has 12 blocks, or 2x6=12. He realizes this is the same as 6+6. Knowing that 6+6=12, student 3 than subtracts the extra block he asked for and gets the answer. Bit longer? Yes, but it's what works for the student.

Student 4 picked up on the concept with the first bit of instruction and simply adds 5+6 and gets 11. No blocks are needed.

______

So, I repeat. I don't agree with everything to do with common core. Some things are just silly and confusing to the students. However, there's a lot of good in it as well. Teaching different ways of learning is absolutely needed. Not everyone goes about problems the same way and initiative, critical thinking, and problem solving are being taught. Saying "common core is the most idiotic curriculum you could make" shows there's not a full understanding of what common core truly is. I'd do a bit more research on the matter, open your mind to the fact people learn differently, and create a stronger argument against it. :yes:

 

[Thomasss]

Common Core is horrible, whoever came up with it needs help, more than just educational help.

My sister had it for her school year last year and there are more ways to add 2+2 now than there was when I was learning the one way, you add 2+3.....

Don't even get me started on the whole test taking and English classes she had. Common Core is the most idiotic curriculum that you could make. There is only one way to add and subtract, not 5 or 6.

Your brain and my brain might work this way but there's a lot of children who actually do benefit considerably from alternate methods. While I don't agree fully with Common Core (this is coming from a teacher), your argument is unfounded.

Let's take for instance adding and subtracting. You say there's only one way to add/subtract, not 5 or 6. There's multiple ways to go about doing something. The goal is the same however.

Student 1 is having a hard time with cut and dry math. The teacher uses counting cubes to show how to add. The student is given 5 red cubes and 6 blue cubes. The student actually is able to piece together there are 11 pieces total made up of both blue and red.

Student 2 likes to think of patterns. The student is handed the same amount of cubes as student 1. In this case, the student adds them by realizing 5+5=10 plus 1 more gives you 11. Once again, different than student 1 but entirely viable and gives the same result.

Student 3 is a bit more advanced and connects multiplication with adding. The student is given the same amount of cubes as the other two students but asks for one more red cube. The student pieces together that he now has 12 blocks, or 2x6=12. He realizes this is the same as 6+6. Knowing that 6+6=12, student 3 than subtracts the extra block he asked for and gets the answer. Bit longer? Yes, but it's what works for the student.

Student 4 picked up on the concept with the first bit of instruction and simply adds 5+6 and gets 11. No blocks are needed.

______

So, I repeat. I don't agree with everything to do with common core. Some things are just silly and confusing to the students. However, there's a lot of good in it as well. Teaching different ways of learning is absolutely needed. Not everyone goes about problems the same way and initiative, critical thinking, and problem solving are being taught. Saying "common core is the most idiotic curriculum you could make" shows there's not a full understanding of what common core truly is. I'd do a bit more research on the matter, open your mind to the fact people learn differently, and create a stronger argument against it. :yes:

That's not what I meant; I learned how to add and subtract using pictures and cubes, I think many people did. My sister was literally adding by taking 0 and 2 and rounding them to the numbers; which doesn't make anymore sense than it does with me explaining it. That's why I have an issue with Common Core, because it didn't even say "you have 2 apples and you get 2 more, now how many do you have?" kind of thing, it literally based adding with rounding - and even the teachers had no idea how to help because they were to busy wrapping their heads around how it worked. 😛

And if Common Core actually worked, maybe state testing using these Common Core questions and structures wouldn't all flop; in Nevada, the testing flopped and we switched back to a new testing company, and New York tests flopped completely. What Common Core promised is not the same from what people are learning, if they want to suddenly change how things work maybe they should have rethought how parents and teachers alike learned, because now teachers and parents alike are having issues helping their children and students with work because they don't even understand it. I was all for Common Core after reading what they said it would do and how Common Core goes about teaching kids the "why" part of math, but it didn't work out well, at all.

 

[Jamesy]

Common Core is useless and not helping children, but making it harder for them.
I hope it gets pushed out of the states, even though I am not affected by it. But I heard they are trying to spread to europe..

 

[Sharon]

On paper I like the idea of Common Core which is a system established to ensure that each student knows and are able to do certain things by the end of each grade level. This system is essential considering that education is mandatory for children and there are so many children in the United States.

Unfortunately we live in a society now where schools have in a sense become a glorified day-care. Students are no longer taught how to learn but are just forced to memorize.

My parents moved my brothers and myself to the Philippines for a couple of years and that is where I went to Kindergarten and First Grade. I remember learning Roman Numerals, spelling my parents' names on the chalkboard, and identifying the different country flags. I honestly don't think these are the things that are being taught here in the US. That's just a personal experience as an example.

Children have the capability to learn so much if they are taught the right away but there are just so many children and there is so much lack of discipline that it's difficult for teachers to teach, they're just babysitters. Granted, I know not all schools are like this but there are MANY schools like this and it's sad that these institutions are shaping individuals for our future. I don't know how to resolve the situation. I don't think there is just one.

So back to the question... what do I think about Common Core? It's good to have but there still needs to be drastic improvements in our current school system. It can't be just about standardized tests.

 

[Kino]

So I live in New York, with Governor Andrew Cuomo, one of the pioneers of the statewide Common Core system. I also worked for the New York State Assembly for 6 months as an intern. Just my background before my opinion.

So I think the idea of having common standards set across the country is a really fantastic idea. I think what everyone forgets is that the Constitution outlines that the states have the right to do with education as they want. So the Federal government kind of intervenes by establishing this "common core" between all of the states.

Another bad thing is that some state education commissioners, like the one in NY, just did not know what they were doing. He never taught a day in a public school and sent his kids to private schools. Plus the Governor is pushing these ridiculous grading rubrics for teachers that just don't make sense.

The New York State Union of Teachers has spent millions on ads, lobbyists, and activists to stop the common core because it is making their jobs harder and harder. I mean my sister is in university right now beginning to study to become a teacher and they are teaching her these new standards and she says they just don't make sense. I also listened to a math and physics expert at the Assembly who said Cuomo's plan just doesn't make sense.

Overall, the government needs to be inclusive. Allow the teachers and administrators of public schools choose their own paths because each community and district is 100% different than the next. Governor Cuomo doesn't know a difference between a North Country school and a Long Island school.