MJ McDermott is speaking about the current state of math education, as a private citizen . KCPQ does not endorse this video. Math Education: An Inconvenient Truth
Tuesday, December 13th, 2011, 10:10 pm | 
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December 13, 2011 at 11:08 pm
If you’d really like your kids to learn their multiplication tables you might try Reflex Math
December 14, 2011 at 12:06 am
I’m not totally sure what the point of this video is…
December 14, 2011 at 12:09 am
we live in an age where we think we can always improve and reform things..somethings are best left alone people!
December 14, 2011 at 1:05 am
Math – for some, this might the most terrifying subject. But, if you look at it closely, perhaps, this as well could become the most entertaining one. think of it.
December 14, 2011 at 1:37 am
I am an eleven year old girl who LOVES math. I get full marks on every math test and I just love, love, love practicing! This video didn’t even help because I already knew how to do EVERYTHING in this video! -3
Honestly if some college people couldn’t do 6 x 4 then they must be quite uneducated because I could do that in my sleep, no
offense to people.
Anyway thanks for listening! Hope you tilled the video anyway
December 14, 2011 at 1:54 am
@coolpeople469 You can learn about reasoning and such all you want in a college course teaching HOW to teach math in a classroom… but guess what? The district dictates what you will teach and how by telling you here are the tools we need you to teach our students. If they hand you a book with 50 pages worth of a world tour in it and a bunch of crayola coloring book nonsense… THAT is what you have to work with… no matter WHAT you thought it would be or learned in your college course.
December 14, 2011 at 1:57 am
Math is not about multiplying shit, it’s about REASONING :/ The second method (TURK or whatever) is the only one I can use to calculate bigger numbers without a pencil and paper.
December 14, 2011 at 2:40 am
At the end of the day this skill should be executed in the shortest possible time be it in real life or in exams. You have just made the process 4 times longer. Why not instead you invest in time instead for pupils to master their times tables?
It is more of an AD to sell the book.
December 14, 2011 at 3:37 am
APPALLING, IMBECILIC! What is going on in the schools? Glad that I never had children.
December 14, 2011 at 4:29 am
@SofaKingSubtle I tend to agree with you.
(It’s good to come back every few months and look at this great video. The methods taught in Reform Math are so wonderfully diabolical. They are not math programs. They are anti-math programs.)
December 14, 2011 at 4:32 am
Everything old is new again. “New Math,” so called, raised it’s ugly head in the 70′s with the same nonsensical appeals to the supposed understanding of the cognitive and conceptual developmental use in approaching and learning math. The argument goes, that children are pictoral.. blah blah.
As far as actually being useful, or proven,or moving children along in their development, so they can understand symbols and logical systems, it does only harm.
December 14, 2011 at 5:12 am
Not only is she completely correct we should take it further and track how this TERC/Reasoning nonsense got into our classrooms. Wish she was in my 4th grade nephews school district because it’s devastating to watch him and many of his friends struggle with fairly simple math problems due to this absurd method of education. They should track down and bring to account the main players in what’s obviously some sort of educational scam on our children and taxpayers.
December 14, 2011 at 5:58 am
Being able to ‘multiply’ (repeated addition) by rote is a long reach from a complete understanding of the mathematics behind the operation.
If all that is accomplished is memorization of an algorithm, number sense will ultimately limit the depth of mathematics learned later. (i.e. read ‘drop out’)
A student should learn an algorithm, but with full comprehension
By the way, some of the basic mathematics demonstrated is severely flawed. (i.e. an ‘=’ sign may not be abused)
December 14, 2011 at 6:14 am
These curricula are educating a generation of fools.
December 14, 2011 at 6:29 am
I’m sorry, but everything she said is completely full of crap. Has she ever attended a college course that is specifically designed for HOW to teach math in a classroom? My guess: Probably not. We are learning that reasoning is ESSENTIAL for mastery of mathematics. And calling the U.S. Standard Algorithm the “universally known” algorithm, is complete crap too.
December 14, 2011 at 7:25 am
Can I just say that students in your calculus class in college learned math using standard algorithms… to the TERC/Reasoning method! Learn your material and your facts before speaking!!!!
December 14, 2011 at 8:09 am
@misses165 I agree that American education is lacking, but you can’t compare all education systems from other countries to ours. If you look at countries that start formal education at the same as as the US does we are comparable. Many Asian and various other countries that excel in education start formal education at age 3. The earlier education begins, the more educated we can become. Think about it, young brains are more actively involved in learning.
December 14, 2011 at 8:50 am
Sorry couldn’t concentrate cuz of the ass to the right..
December 14, 2011 at 9:24 am
Interesting video about a subject not often explored.
December 14, 2011 at 9:29 am
The nice thing about TERC is that you can use these methods to do calculations mentally, without pencil and paper; you also gain a better understanding of numbers in general. The problem is that it’s just too hard for a lot of students. The other methods are just crap. The “standard algorithms” are at least better in that respect, but by no means perfect. The saddest part of math education is that “story problems” are almost universally dreaded, and I know of no good way to remedy that.
December 14, 2011 at 10:05 am
@rexmcnish why did she say she gets confused then? the techniques are not inefficient if you understand the application of them. I can make any problem take 100 steps to complete if you write everything down and look far more difficutl then it really is….and in response to your question: I have not authored a book, but my engineering degree says I know a little about math and problem solving.
December 14, 2011 at 10:14 am
@isthismyfault
She had a very clear understanding of the techniques and even demonstrated just how grossly inefficient they were.
You an author of the crappy version of the algorithm or something?
December 14, 2011 at 11:01 am
@LivinWorstNightmare Basic understanding of algebra is important if you want to get into sciences and business. Like the lady said in the video, she needs calculus, trigonometry and algebra for meteorology. Even business majors need to understand a little bit of calculus. Also, being able to do algebra expands your mental skills and help you to work through problems logically. Logic problems in the real world are not always about math.
December 14, 2011 at 11:26 am
48÷2(9+3) =
trollface :7
December 14, 2011 at 11:40 am
@archmagi14794
If they need it they can go into college and learn it, it shouldn’t be taught in high school if most the kids are never going to use the crap. I am way past high school and never used this cluster fuck migraine math in my life.