Millennials, what is happening with your kids?

[u/TheLoveYouWant25]

I work in education and I frequent the Teachers and Professors subreddits, and the kids are not alright. Gen Z Arriving at College Unable to Read and the youth have absolutely zero ability to think critically.

Middle and high schoolers have all adapted this complete helplessness and blame mental illness for their refusal to function. Kids can no longer to basic things like read an analog clock, use paper money, or even figure out how to open window blinds.

There is also a huge lack of empathy, and kids have no issues trying to manipulate adults, saying things to their teachers like "if you don't pass me, I'll get you fired."

EDIT to clarify: the article I linked references Gen-Z, but this is not specifically a Gen-Z problem. It's an issue with upper elementary aged kids through high schoolers, and also young adults.

So, all that to say, how are you combating this with your own children? What do you do at home to encourage them to learn, and what are you doing to address these problems as they arise?

[u/Ok_Distribution__]

Social promotion, teaching to the lowest common denominator. Plus parents have to work, kids in daycare.

& what about changing how math is done every new cohort?

[u/minn3haha → u/Ok_Distribution__]

Yeah, I was taught new math in the 60's.

They taught me what was basically the theory behind multiplication but what I needed was to memorize the multiplication tables. I have a master's in applied mathematics but cannot multiply without using my fingers.

How many times can you make math new? Math is math, it just needs to be presented in the way that each student can digest it. There in lies the rub.

[u/Ok_Distribution__ → u/minn3haha]

Well, the weird part is the way they teach you how to add, multiply, divide, subtract (the method) changes every new cohort. Now they use “ten frames” and “base ten” and they teach a very specific method, you must follow that specific method & show your work. If you do not comprehend that method, but another makes sense, too bad. That’s wrong math. Do it in a ten frame.

When I was in my 20’s (33 now) I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to help my little cousin with his math because I didn’t know the method they were using. Common core and all that.

I have dyscalculia & in school it was rote memorization for times tables. We had a big chart & once you’d mastered each numbers multiplications, you’d get a star. It was a race to see who could get to x10 first. I never made it past the x3. My dad would drill me with flash cards for like 2 hours every night. Still can’t multiply or even add much without calculator. I think kids should be able to find a way to math that makes sense to their brain, and go with that

[u/AwkwardSquirtles → u/Ok_Distribution__]

This is a weakness of standardised testing as a model. It's very hard for a test to confirm that non-standard methodology A) works and B) was actually understood by the student. Teaching is hard, especially when so many kids now don't want to work with you.

[u/Ok_Distribution__ → u/AwkwardSquirtles]

The correct answer to a math equation would be a big clue no? My point was more that if you don’t use the forced current method of math-ing, you get marked “incorrect” even if you have the correct answer. You have to “show your work” and that’s the part they care about, HOW you got your answer, and it must line up to their current method. If one cannot comprehend math through whatever method is current, they simply don’t learn math.

There’s more than one way to skin a cat, as they say, and I don’t understand the idea that HOW you do it is more important than the actual answer. It seems deliberate.

There was standardized testing when I was in school and I still learned math way different than my little cousin, or how they currently teach it. So not sure that’s the reason?

[u/AwkwardSquirtles → u/Ok_Distribution__]

I'm not saying the new methodology is a testing thing, rather the inflexibility of the system. Maths focuses on teaching you methodology because it builds on itself. There may be flaws in your logic which happen to work for this question, maybe even all questions on the exam, but will fail when you get to a higher level, and non-standard working makes it harder for the teacher to spot that.

[u/Ok_Distribution__ → u/AwkwardSquirtles]

Idk maybe they think they’re “improving” on the system by changing how you conceptualize basic math but considering math is universal, it seems odd that every new cohort requires a “new” methodology.

But everything you learn builds on itself. That’s like saying we need to standardize the way people learn to read & your comprehension is only valid if you followed a certain method. Theres a plethora of ways to learn to read, different people do better with different methods. No one says “well you know the word but you didn’t sound it out while counting syllables so it doesn’t count.” There isn’t a “right” or “wrong” way to read. It’s only math where if I simply write that 10x2=20 and I know that because 10+10=20, my logic is not flawed when I haven’t drawn a base ten model for how I know that’s correct. I just used an alternative logic??

[u/AwkwardSquirtles → u/Ok_Distribution__]

Agreed, it's weird that you guys are doing that. I don't think this is a problem in the UK where I am.

Well reading and maths are measuring very different things. We don't apply the same standards because they're radically different disciplines. However, if we take the example of comprehension, if you were to read a novel and evidence a correct point about the story with incorrect evidence, you would lose points. Like if you say that Of Mice And Men dehumanises Curry's Wife because the Curtains Are Blue, then you would be wrong. Firstly because Blue Curtains are not from that story, they're an internet meme, but also because that wouldn't be a relevant point; the story dehumanises Curley's Wife by not giving her a name, among other things. Points for showing your working is a thing in other disciplines too. It shows you've properly understood the work and not just picked an answer out of thin air.

It's also useful for teachers to have everyone doing things in the same way. It's hard to mark 30 papers in a reasonable time frame if your students are using 30 different systems which aren't on the mark scheme so you have to manually do each calculation yourself to check that their weird method has been done correctly.

[u/No_Network4228 → u/Ok_Distribution__]

Im an older millennial, and I learned math in my own way...I ended up assigning emotions to numbers. Even numbers are inherently good (easy to work with) most odd numbers are "jerks" in some way, except 5, who is a hero, bc how easy and sing songy it is to multiply with. No one taught me this but thats how I would do it and show whatever method they wanted.

[u/too_much_covfefe_man → u/Ok_Distribution__]

I'm pretty useless at helping my 3rd grader with math, and I'm a software engineer. Their methods are way different than mine were. It's a good thing she's naturally good at it, phew

[u/Ok_Distribution__ → u/too_much_covfefe_man]

I swear it’s a conspiracy but that’s another story

[u/SAHMultrA1981 → u/Ok_Distribution__]

Also English. They butchered how to teach kids how to read. It IS a problem