Re: [math-fun] The New Math

Cal writes: << i took the first class of the new math in pasadena in 1960 (7th grade) - my class had an advantage over most of the other people i know who encountered it then or later; my teacher didn't know anything about it, just like everyone else's, but it DIDN'T bother him ...

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I believe Cal is exactly right. The main reason for the downfall of the New Math in that era was that a large number of teachers felt they were being asked to teach something they had never been taught. Since math has always had a problem of being taught, esp. in public school, by too many teachers who are already prejudiced against it, this new externally-imposed curriculum just exacerbated their negative feelings. --Dan