The memorization of multiplication and division tables. Doing addition and subtraction by hand with a pencil. Showing your work. What arcane outdated concepts!
Right. Doing the work is how the skill is learned. Nothing is learned when a student punches numbers on a calculator. They get the results but have no understanding of the process needed to get the results. I teach adult ESL. I discourage the use of translators unless a student has no idea of what he is reading or needs to write.
The humorist Jean Shepherd once commented on a paint-by-number set that promised that the user would soon be painting beautiful masterpieces just like Michaelangelo’s. Yep, skip from A to Z without having to worry about talent or skill or real work.