Okay. I researched math programs up down and sideways. I can tell you what the experts think about A Beka, Singapore, Saxon, Math Mammoth, and Math-U-See. I can tell you how Oregon's public school's math program rates nationwide (we got a D), who did well (California and Massachusettes were the only ones that got A's), how the US ranks internationally (24th), and who is the first (Singapore).
I was torn, and still am torn, between Singapore Math (ranked first world-wide) and Math-U-See (well reviewed and hands on).
Mi'ita's public school teacher foisted upon us the math curriculum she had. It is languishing on the shelf. Oregon got a D, you know.
We bought Singapore Math. It looks good. Mi'ita can do it fine.
But she hates it. She hated the school curriculum when she went to public school, too. She tested well, rated "exceptional" in their standardized tests last year. She is good at math but doesn't like it.
I bought a Math Mysteries book to spice up the math. Here is the dilemma. She requests to do Math Mysteries instead of Singapore Math.
Do I let her? Basically they are long word problems that star a couple of kids that have to solve mysteries using math.
Example: The other day we did one that involved figuring out the radius of a circle. Could a dog tethered to the center of a yard eat the tulips in the neighbor's yard? We ended up talking about the Greeks, Euclid in particular, who figured out PI in order to construct their amazing buildings. She extrapolated into talking about that Greek guy, what's his face, who figured out the circumference of the Earth. Then John had her do a couple problems figuring out the radius of the Earth. She learned how to use a formula, why they are handy, and how you would solve this problem without the formula.
I am torn. I think it is of the utmost importance for her to change her attitude about math. If she hates one but likes the other, it seems like a no brainer to do the one she likes. The problem, though, is these math mysteries are teasers. They do not teach math, they are games to use in addition to a math curriculum. The math curriculums teach math sequentially and theoretically completely. I would have no problem changing to a different curriculum, but should I use no curriculum at all?
Do I toss a math program out the window to do math games?
Being both an English major *and* a journalist, a double-anti-math-whammy if there ever was one, here I cannot help you. :(
ReplyDeleteI say, teach her the basics (the multiplication tables; how to do long division, fractions and decimals) and let her go for the fun for the rest. How to get her to do the basics? Bribery worked wonders for me. "Pass the multiplication tables and I'll take you out for a Peanut Buster Parfait," my teacher told me. I tell ya, they were learned! :)
Yeah, she did that last year. Her class got ice cream sundays, the more they passed the more toppings they got. The problem with that is that she is already a tad chubby. Not overweight but on the edge. I already do M&M geography and ice cream mondays. I don't think I can put another food bribe in there and not have to roll her from room to room. And we already do the nifty little point system for money. While she is ready for her allowance on Fridays, it doesn't really motivate her on a daily basis. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteFrankly, if she's enjoying the more practical aspects of math, I'd find more ways to let her do it that way. It sounds like what she hates is doing math worksheets, not math itself. I've had to reduce the worksheet load from school - if June can show me she knows the method from 3-5 problems, she doesn't have to do the other 25, cause it gets boring.
ReplyDeleteShe still is looking up multiplication facts when she should have them down cold by now. Won't do the work to memorize them without pain and anxst. It took her a while to get long division down, too. She did probably a week worth of worksheets before she figured out how to do it.
ReplyDeleteHow do I get her to learn the boring parts of math?