Re: math
Just don't get rid of rote memorization of times tables. That mental math is so handy.
Absolutely. Geometry equations as well.
In math, the questions are more important than the answers. You can memorize 3 * 6 = 18, but can you explain why it is so
You can memorize that all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares, but can you tell why.
Among the biggest issues with teaching math is that so many do not teach math as it is. It is a language. Taught as a language, students learn it, but especially when that language is embedded within a context that is familiar to the student.
When a kid sees a problem such as, "Me. Brown is laying out his garden...", and that kid knows nothing about gardens, the problem becomes much harder.
Also, with American kids, if you teach them that math is how businesses take advantage of them in the market place, they start to take a real interest, as all American kids don't want someone taking their money. It makes it a whole lot easier to teach fractions, decimals, and percents once they realize these are just expressions used to fuck them over.
Hey, kid. Would you rather have 50% off, or buy one get one free? How about 70% off $100 sneakers, or 60%off plus another 15% off those same $100 kicks?
If you don't give context, teach thinking, and teach math as a language, you are not getting the teaching of math done, IMO.