New Math Versus Old Math Is Eureka Math Good For Students or a Waste of Time?

Example of Eureka Math

The way students are being taught math has evolved over the years. First, it was just simple. Teach the kids how to do the math. That is all changing now with Eureka Math. Eureka Math is a math curriculum for kids PK-12 grade. 57% of elementary teachers use this program. The real question is, should this number be higher, or should it be lower?

An example of new math vs. old math

In my opinion, students and teachers should be against the new way we are being taught math because it is confusing, time consuming, and some of the strategies will not be helpful later in life.

Eureka Math

The first reason I am against the new way of math is it is confusing. Instead of just learning how to do a simple equation, Eureka Math makes you show your work by doing unnecessary strategies. For kids that understand how to do the math, the need to do all this extra work is just frustrating. For the kids who do not understand the math, these strategies can just confuse them even more. This is one reason why I believe the new way of math is not helpful for students.

The new way of math

Another reason I believe Eureka Math is not good for students is the strategies will not be helpful later in life. Imagine in 40 years, you are trying to figure out a retirement plan. There will most likely be math involved. It would not make sense to draw a tape diagram to show your work. You would however, possibly do standard algorithm. Why are we being taught strategies like number bonds, tape diagrams, number lines, etc., if we will not use them in the future. School is supposed to prepare us for the future, but Eureka Math is focusing on teaching us strategies that may not be helpful now, and certainly won't be helpful later in life.

Third, our parents may have a hard time helping us with our homework. Because our parents were taught the normal way, they might not be able to help their children with showing their work through complicated strategies.¨Its terribly sad to come home, ask my mom for help with my math homework, and listen to her tell me that she can’t do it either,¨ Asha Mohan said about Eureka Math. Our parents are suppose to be their to help with our homework, not be there to tell us it is to hard for them also. There are Youtube videos that explain how to do the homework, but they are often 10 minutes or longer. For example, the video above is for grade 5, module 2, lesson 15 homework. It seems crazy to have to watch a 10 minute long video to understand your homework. This is yet another reason I believe the adoption of Eureka Math by many schools was not a smart choice.

Fourth, Eureka Math is very time consuming. With the need to show your work on most problems, getting through a problem set can take quite a while. Instead of just doing the equation and finding an answer, a lot of the time you have to draw some sort of picture. This can frustrate kids who want to get their work done, not spend all of their time doing unimportant strategies. With limited math time, we should not be spending most, or any of the time doing strategies that can just confuse students. As John Dryden says, "Time is the most valuable coin in our life." Why should we spend what little time we have doing things we should not have to?

John von Neumann

My last reason Eureka Math is not good for students is the old way of math produced so many great mathematicians. For example, John von Neumann(1903-1957) did not learn math using Eureka Math. He, and many other mathematicians have become so successful after being taught the old way of math. It obviously worked, so why mess it up? We do not know if Eureka Math will produce more geniuses like the old way of math. Maybe it will, but one thing for sure is, the old way of math worked.

In conclusion, it is of my opinion that the old way of math is superior to this new way, Eureka Math. The old way of math is less confusing quicker, and can be understood by most parents. Eureka Math, is different, and for this debate, to me different is not good.

Sources Used:

http://hechingerreport.org/inside-eureka-math-does-a-popular-common-core-math-curriculum-move-too-fast-for-young-students/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Math

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Allison H
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