If you have a kid who encounters very little challenge, it is necessary to provide the type of challenge that your DS is facing. If he already understands one way to do the problem, it could be an issue with how the sub is explaining the new way of solving. Maybe you can find out the particular issues and explain at home. Or else try khan academy for videos. We just got a great khan video explanation of "mode", even though DS knew what it was, mom and dad were not so familiar with that term!
As for learning and using several different methods to do the same thing, I think that it's very useful for kids who learn in different ways. It also might help a kid understand why something works, rather than just rote memorization. Then at some point a person should be able to choose his/her preferred method of solving, the one they're most comfortable with. But that's just my opinion, and I am not mathy.
Last edited by st pauli girl; 01/11/12 08:26 AM.
