[WhyisaTexasgirlinPA]

It would be nice to think they are doing this to introduce higher concepts, but that isn’t the truth. It boils down to kids who aren’t learning the multiplication tables. They can learn song lyrics and how to play video games, but for some reason current thought in teaching is that kids can’t memorize multiplication tables. Of course this is BS. All changes to math have ocurred to make up for lack of parental participation helping their children learn. All kids are being held back to stay with the dumbest/laziest in the class.

[Rebel_Ace]

"It would be nice to think they are doing this to introduce higher concepts, but that isn’t the truth."

I agree. That is why I said that I would bet the instructor showing this lesson could not identify the underlying concepts that make it "work".

It is almost as if the educational establishment wants to muddy up the waters of lower (K-6) education by baffling the kids with material that is not, as wita said, "not age appropriate".

[Fred Hayek]

I suspect another motive. The kids are not memorizing the old tables, and these gyrations are being taught to make the kids feel dumb. So if Johnny is asked to multiply 7 and 5, and he immediately answers 35, he is told wrong answer since he did not do a gymnastics routine to get there. I call this the “heavy head trip “. One of the results of the heavy head trip is the kid shuts down, he either considers himself too stupid or is afraid of giving the right answer the “wrong” way.