Learning

This year, Alex has been learning math with the "new math" system of the common core.  He seems to get it, which is great, but I figure it would be helpful if I would understand it as well, and that is not going as well as one would hope.  Like at all.  Like I don't get it.  Not even a little bit.

Last night, we were going through his homework worksheet and he was supposed to be using a number grid to solve some addition problems.  He got the answers straight away, but then I asked him to explain to me how he would use the number grid if he needed to.  And that's when we went off the tracks...

Me:  K, #2, what is 63+8?
Alex:  71.
Me:  Yep.  But can you show me how you would use this number chart to get that answer instead of just doing the math?
Alex:  But it's 71, right?
Me:  Yes, you're right, but you're supposed to use this chart to figure it out.  And while I can see you don't need the chart for this one, I would like you to explain to me how you would use it if you didn't know the answer.
Alex:  Oh!  So, you would start at 11 because 3 plus 8 equals 11 and then that makes you go over here and then you bop down to here and you're at 71.
Me:  ...  ...  But that doesn't make any sense.  Why do you start there and how do you know that you should "bop down" to there?
Alex:  Because it's 71.  It's71, right?
Me:  Yes it is.  You have the correct answer.  I just don't understand how to do math this way.
Alex:  Ummm, did you even go through 1st grade?
Me:  Yes.  I went through 1st grade.  We just didn't learn math this way when I learned it.
Alex:  Were you born in the 1980's or something then?
Me:  No.  I was born in 1977.
Alex:  Oh.  Huh.  Ok.  Well, the next one is 52.