I have a kid going through the much criticized "common core" math as we speak and it appears to me that this is one of the problems it tries to address.

Many concepts I learned as pure arithmetic are taught as visual and/or spacial concepts. Often there are multiple strategies for reaching the same answer.

This is a kind of math I first encountered while working as a contractor and later expanded upon when studying computer science. It is ubiquitous in the trades. I think parents don't like it so much because it draws upon a flexibility with math they were basically discouraged from exercising.