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The theory as with sight reading is that they are trying to teach cgildren to apprehend things the way adults apprehend things. Children, however do not reason yet and thus it is all nonsense to them. What children do well is memorize. Traditional schooling fills up what are essentially data banks with date about which the children learn to reason when their DNA finishes wiring their brains for that. When taught correctly, rote when young, reasoning later, then they have something to reason about when that stage is reached. The liberals prefer to keep that databank empty with the excuse that, well, we have calculators and home computers and smartphones to look up all that data so kids don't have to waste time and brain space committing it to memory.

The result is that kids develop their reason but have nothing to reason about except what they are told. It is much easier to teach them bogus facts and history and inculcate obedience to their rulers that way. Having no numbers and history or grammar in their databanks they cannot discriminate between facts and imposed fantasy. They are cut off from the past, from history , philosophy, and even religion and depend on outside sources for their figuring. They become submissive subjects of the ruling class who did NOT get "educated" that way. Or the brighter and more forward among them become restless with vague angst and unshakeable feelings that nothing is right. They become the rebels and bomb throwers but the attitude is inchoate and not directed against the Rulers because they have no idea why they think something is wrong. The rulers direct that restlessness against those who were not subject to their "education" and who are dangerous to the rulers.

And now we have a new office in the DoJ to deal with these perceived non fitters in.

What children do well is memorize. Traditional schooling fills up what are essentially data banks with date about which the children learn to reason when their DNA finishes wiring their brains for that. When taught correctly, rote when young, reasoning later, then they have something to reason about when that stage is reached.

That is the best three sentence analysis of human learning I've read.

I managed to get halfway through the video before I saw what was happening: utter nonsense. You mentioned new math. I escaped that, being born 10 years earlier and starting off in a farmtown grade shcool, catholic thereafter.

The old ways are really fairly simple and learnable by children. They work, and quickly when practiced.

But it’s not about the math. It’s about making change, counting the pot in poker, understanding a sales forecast, and so on. Common Core is about the math. I was a math major, and did serious work on a Ph. D. (Then the draft got me, and I learned to spell “computer”.)

I love math. Most people don’t. I had the “carrying” and “borrowing” in addition and subtraction understood by 7th or 8th grade. That’s fun. It’s stupidly inefficient for normal life.

Several somebodies have way too much time on their hands. But please don’t explain Peano’s axioms to them, or it will just get worse.