We're teaching "new math"! (AKA Math blog #1)

So I am told by our instructor that we are teaching new math.  Really?  "New" math?  I survived the "new math" era of the 70's, and turned out just fine, though I am a little math phobic.  I almost did not survive the "new math" that my kids were learning a few years ago in elementary school.  Their teacher told them that "my way" of doing long division was no longer sufficient.  What?!  I had to assure my kids that it really did work!  But they were still not allowed to use this "old-fashioned method" in class.

And now, here I am, being told that I am going to teach "new math".  Hmm... call me a skeptic, but I certainly thought that most of the priciples and theorums that support our mathematical constructs were discovered hundreds, even thousands of years ago.  Not so new.  But then our professor gave us a problem to solve as a small group.  It was so interesting to see the variety of answers and methods used to achieve those answers, all of which were correct, I might add.  What I learned from this short exercise was that I just may want to open my eyes to the idea of a new way of teaching math, and communicating about math.  It just might be the same underlying mathematical principles we are dealing with, but rather than having ONE way to achieve a certain result, there are many.  And the important thing will be to allow my students to discover their own way, rather than guiding them down "my way".  With this type of discovery, they will be actively engaged in truly understanding those mathematical principles.  So bring on the "new math"!