Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion The problem with math.

You should read this blog entry if you haven't seen it before.

http://www.educationnews.org/articles/one-step-ahead-of-the-train-wreck.html

It could really be the fault of everyday math. But at some point, she really needs to do more by rote to memorize the math facts. For some kids there is really no other way around it.

I think it's because our kids can instantly acquire concepts and procedures, but the times tables just don't work that way. They require effort and repetition.

ETA: I have to say, though, that the effort is well rewarded. Having that fluency is a huge confidence builder for the things that follow after.


My DD8 is the same way. She's a whiz at math operations. Give her a word problem, and she'll jump on the numbers and start doing all sorts of operations on them... before she's fully comprehended what operations she should be doing, and why.

I've explained it to my DW like this: math is basically another language. DD understands math, and she understands English, but translating between the two languages is a challenge.

You should not pull her back before you figure out what her issues are. A one year acceleration in math is not much and should not pose difficulties with a 99% ability level in general although I am not familiar with COGAT. The problem may not be math per se. Does she have trouble applying and/or explaining math concepts with word problems? Is she missing some foundational undepinning that is making her current math difficult/cumbersome?

And there is where my shame comes in...I have no idea. This is why tomorrows conference is so very important. We need to discover where her weaknesses lie and how to remedy them. I feel so foolish for trusting the school to do the job.

I am totally against putting her back as of right now. She is working much harder now (well, she worked harder yesterday than I've ever seen. Let's see if this continues.) and is committed to trying. She says that it would be humiliating to move to 3rd grade math, even though she has friends in that class.

We got an appointment to see about ADHD but are on a waiting list to see the doctor. We could go to our Family Practitioner but I don't feel entirely comfortable having him diagnose her. He is a great doctor, I just don't think that he sees this enough to do the most thorough job.

Thinking ahead to tomorrow and what questions I am going to need to ask made me think of this clip:
HA!

DD and DS did Big Brainz on our PC. It's also called "timez attack". There is a free version and deluxe version. DS in particular (Mr. Lazy) got VERY into it even though he still wasn't in first grade yet and still remembers all the facts.

The pscyh who just assessed DD said she is most likely a visual thinker (very high perceptual reasoning, like 150), and acted like it's a given (or at least not at all surprising) that she would struggle with math facts. She said she would send me some stuff to help but I haven't gotten it yet. If there is anything good there, I will share it.

My DD and I are both people who have a great deal of difficulty with rote memorization-- particularly of numbers.

We can't "memorize." We only gain fluency through use. It's a brain wiring quirk, I think.

I mean, clearly I can memorize-- I have most of the periodic table and all of my basic math facts, tons of neuroanatomy, etc. down cold. So can DD. But it just doesn't happen through deliberate "I'm going to memorize these things." Flashcards are pretty much useless to either one of us.

We also are both applications-oriented-- and it doesn't take a lot of repetitions before we HAVE stuff memorized if we go that particular pathway. Maybe two or three repetitions.

The answer for us as learners is to entirely skip the rote mechanical operations problems, and move straight to the kind that involve that "translation" that UM and Dude discussed above.

Spiraling is a disaster for DD and I both. We get almost nothing out of it, because it doesn't go DEEP enough to 'stick' with either one of us.


I figured I'd mention this to note that a lack of ability to work "real-world" or "word" problems does NOT necessarily come as a package deal with inability to memorize math facts. I'd always assumed the opposite, in fact, based on my family's N of 3.

We had a really good conference. Her teacher was surprised that we were so dismayed by the report card and said that it just shows room for growth.
The math problem is on the way to being solved but my husband and I discovered that we don't really appreciate the style of the math teacher. We were offered the chance to move dd into 3rd grade math which only has 10 students (dreamy class size!) or have her remain in 4th. We really just want a new math teacher! Not that it is going to happen...
We're doing the Big Brainz at home, I ordered Beast Academy and found a teenaged calculus student to mentor dd. We should be on the right track!

If my kid were in a school using Everyday Math, I would be relentless in my efforts to get it replaced.

Master of None, I love your post. My DD8 is similar. She will groan at word problems unless it is something she thinks is interesting, then she lights up. I can only get her to practice things like multiplication facts, if it is speed drills. There must be some competitive element involved. It has become a game of my own to challenge her enough that she doesn't hate it because its boring but also not pushing too hard because too hard is also boring or it can't be uninteresting. It is amazing the difference in the level of work she can do if the problem or issue is interesting to her. If I could find an entire curriculum that revolved around gymnastics, certain tv shows, and wild colored fashion, she would probably win a Millennium Prize.

I'm beginning to be very afraid of Everyday math and DD is only in first grade.