The math wars refers to a recurring controversy, most prominent in the United States from the 1990s onward, between advocates of reform mathematics curricula that emphasize conceptual understanding, problem-solving and student discovery, and advocates of traditional approaches emphasizing standard algorithms, memorization of math facts and direct instruction. The debate intensified around the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' 1989 standards and has recurred around subsequent curriculum changes, including the Common Core State Standards.
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1. Math wars (Wikipedia)
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In the United States, math wars are debates over modern mathematics education, textbooks and curricula that were triggered by the publication in 1989 of the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and subsequent development and widespread adoption of a new generation of mathematics curricula inspired by these standards.
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