The way maths is taught these days is so different to when I was at school. Why?

The way teenagers speak these days is different to when we were at school too. Part of this is just changes in the words used and the emphasis made on different parts of the process. In other cases a lot of research about what works best for learning mathematics has been done and it is these best practices that are being used in schools. A good teacher will be aware that there is almost always more than one way to perform a calculation or get an answer. It is valuable for students to realise this also. Talk to your child’s teacher about the differences and see how the two ways can be used together to enhance learning rather than make it harder.