Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy detoxing from Everyday Math

So, we will likely start full time homeschooling soon. That means we will be bidding farewell to Everyday Math. How do we detox from this curriculum? What curriculum should we start with? DS is anxious to start a new curriculum, so we won't be unschooling math. Is EPGY a good choice? I've been looking at AoPS and I really like it. DS is in 5th grade math. He has expressed a desire to start algebra "as soon as possible" so that he can blaze through it and can "learn more science". So where is the best place to start?

Thanks Portia. Quick question: do you do open enrollment or the instructor guided course? I haven't really looked at the website too much, so I don't really know what the pros/cons are.

Oh boy.

How long has he been with EDM?

My concern with kids who have been with EDM/EVM for any length of time is that they wind up with peculiar gaps in the foundation because of the unbelievably unsound pedagogy in some of the early grades.

I'd say that you'll want him to be aware that if he's struggling with something, he needs to ASK you-- because it's entirely possible that it's something he's been taught incorrectly by EDM that is causing the problem.

Enjoy your newfound freedom, btw!

This is his 3rd year of EDM (K, 1, 5). The good news is that he has been somewhat EDM resistant these past few years. Meaning, the teacher "teaches" him how to do it the EDM way and invariably he's got his own intuitive way of doing it....which is usually the better way to do it. But I will be sure to look out for these gaps, HK. Thanks!

If you are also looking for some math work for fun to detox and bridge the gap between EDM and your next real curriculum. You could look at Edward zaccaro's ...primary challenge math, challenge math, and other books (including some science ones). I bet he would love them.

http://www.prufrock.com/cw_contributorinfo.aspx?ContribID=217&Name=Edward+Zaccaro

We've been using Beast Academy on the side. DD is loving it!

Oh we looooove Beast Academy here. We have all of 3rd grade and the one 4th grade text that has been published. If they had the grade level that we needed, we would get it.

I'm just hoping the entire Beast Academy series will be done in time for my next DC.

I second HowlerKarma's thoughts on gaps after doing EDM. My DD had some really weird ways of thinking through math after doing EDM for 3 years. Sometimes her methods were due to RDM and other times it was because she had developed her own way of doing things which don't always work when you get to algebra and beyond. She didn't even know she didn't understand things until we would sit with her and have her explain the method she had used and why she thought it would work and then we'd have to show her how it was wrong and what the correct way of doing it was. We had some tough days because of it, but it only took about 4 months to undo 3 years of bad math foundations, so I guess it wasn't too bad.

Apologies to jump into the conversation - but why does one need to detox from everyday math? What is peculiar about it?

I'll offer the short version (and note that it isn't just EDM, it's also EnVision Math, too).

1. Unsound pedagogy doesn't really "teach" mathematical concepts or algorithms using "this is why this works" as an approach to numeracy...

2. Teaches partly through "algorithm discovery" process-- which is just as goofy as it sounds.

3. As if that weren't bad enough, it also teaches "tricks" to problem solving particular types of problems. Not particular methods which are universally applicable (say, that addition is "commutative" for example).

4. "Oversimplifies" (really, teaches them sloppily and incorrectly) many concepts that probably have no business even BEING taught within the context of the grade level in question.

I could go on and on, but won't.