OPs description is literally the simplest example of the dreaded "new math" they are teaching in schools.

9+7 is the same as 9+1+6 is the same as 10+6 is 16. New math. Same as the old math.

ETA: one of the points of "new math", iirc, is essentially to teach all kids to use the methods that the kids who are "naturally gifted" at arithmetic sort of figured out on their own. So, congrats?

It's less about "changing the way we do math" and more about "teaching kids to break down problems to their simplest elements"...which is an all-around important life skill, aside from just math.