It may have taken ayearoftraining, with different shapes, sizes and colors of items, alwaysingroupsof one, twoorthree, but all that work paid offwhen it was time for higher math.
On the other hand, a discussion with a group of tenth-graders would probably quickly generate a list of important forces such as immigration reform, changes in science and math education, and a simplified US tax code might have a bearing on how the world shapes up in the next few decades.