Teaching Math a New Way- Good or Bad?

I am all for doing what it takes to make learning easier! Teaching in multiple ways is important also! However, I am having a hard time with some of the ways they are teaching math. I am taking A Problem Solving Approach to Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers. On a 6th grade math book page, they have multiplying by decimals in a crazy square shape diagram with marks going one way in one color and the other way in another color. I understand that it is visual, which may be the draw to it, but I think it makes it more difficult. Maybe it is just because I didn't learn it that way. I decided to ask some children in 6th grade and their parents how they were doing. Parents were in consensus that it was hard for them to help with math homework now because it was not the way they did it when they were in school. 3/4th of the children were struggling with this new math also. I definitely need to do some more research on this. I wonder what the reasoning behind changing how you multiply decimals came about? So I thought a video would show you better what I mean.