What is New Math? Is it Really That Bad?

“New math” is a topic we get asked about often. What is it? Do we like it? Do we think it’s better? Why are we doing it?

Let’s start with what “new math” is. The truth is math itself has not changed. Math is math. The answer to 17+ 34 doesn’t change. What has changed, or can vary between people, classrooms, and schools is the way we approach or teach math. For many of us adults, the way they are doing math today is likely pretty different from how we did math in elementary school. This “new math” might feel weird or confusing or even like they are adding extra steps.

Think back to your elementary school math classroom if you can. Was your experience like ours: a lot of the teacher telling you the steps to take on the board and then you would go back and try to remember those steps and apply them to your workbook page? Maybe there would be some word problems at the end of your practice page of 20 problems. Think a little bit more about the thinking and learning you were doing during that experience. Were you copying the teacher’s steps or truly engaging with what was happening mathematically? Can you explain why you do the steps you do in long division? Can you explain why you invert and multiply when dividing fractions?

If your answer is yes to these questions- hooray! You’re one of the lucky ones. If your answer was no to these questions (and we want to be clear--OUR answer used to be no to those last two questions), then you’re not alone. That has been the case for so many people. And honestly, the reason for that likely has a lot to do with how math was traditionally taught to you. 

One of the biggest goals with “new math” is that students truly understand the math they are doing, rather than just repeating steps they see the teacher doing. New math, when it’s done right, helps our students think deeply and creatively. It helps them look for and use structures, rather than just memorize isolated facts and algorithms. It helps to prepare them with the skills they will need to be successful in the real world. 

New math encourages students to draw upon their intuitive understanding of mathematics and what makes sense for them. For instance, when adding two-digit numbers like 23 and 19, a student can think about an approach that makes sense to them rather than just memorizing the steps to a standard algorithm that has them add 3 and 9 to get twelve and then “carry the one.” Though these steps might feel nice and “simple,” the problem is some students (and even adults) understandably don’t realize what they are doing when “carrying the one” is really adding another group of ten because they’ve just been taught to memorize the steps. A child who is using a more understanding-based “new math” approach might think:

• I know that 20 and 10 give me 30, and 3 and 9 give me 12, so if I add 30 and 12, I have 42.

OR

• 19 is pretty close to 20, so instead of using 19 I’m going to add 20 and 23, which gives me 43. Since I added an extra one to 19 to get 20, I have to take one away from the 43 and have 42. 

OR

• I’m going to take one from the 23 and give it to the 19. Now, instead of 23 and 19, I have 22 and 20. Twenty is the same as two groups of ten, and if I add two groups of ten to 22, I have 42.

A student can use their number sense and growing understanding to help them approach and work through the problem in a way that makes sense to them.

New math can help students feel more excited and empowered as mathematicians. But we also know adults can feel overwhelmed by new math as it feels like they’re having to teach themselves math all over again without any help. The Math Happiness Project is here to help you navigate your journey with “new math” so you and your child can understand what’s happening with their math, feel confident, and maybe even find some joy in doing math.

Check out our video about new math and share it with someone who know is also unsure about new math!

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