Originally Posted by AlexsMom
Originally Posted by ColinsMum
They also sometimes complicated things bizarrely. E.g., they solved "what is 40% of 220?" by writing 40/100 = x/220 and then using something they grandly called the "means extreme property" to cross-multiply and solve!

That's an Americanism, I believe. I nearly failed 6th grade math because we were required to set problems up as "is over of, percent over 100," and solve, with no explanation of why that was the preferred method, and my brain does not work that way. I got every problem wrong for about 3 weeks straight, until my mom pointed out that what is x, is is equals, and of is times. x = 40% * 220 is a much more sensical way to write that problem.
That actually is how my brain works. I set up everything I can into a proportion. I see it as similar to a verbal analogy: cat is to meow as dog is to ___. 20 is to 100 as 3 is to ___.

It has been very easy to help dd11 with math b/c she thinks of it in the same way. Dd9 is a different story and I am having to be creative so as not to frustrate her (and me!). We're going to be homeschooling her this school year so I am making a concerted effort not to tick the kiddo off by giving her my methods like this that don't work for her!

Study Strategies for Accelerated Learners