Anyone using LOF and Khan Academy as their only math?

[rowan25]

We are considering moving from MM to using LOF and Khan in combination. Is anyone out there doing this? Is this a good match-up? Can anyone explain to me how to use Khan in a homeschool setting? I find the coach's dashboard very difficult to understand, but then I'm not very visual!!

 

Aimee

[Chrysalis Academy]

Hi Aimee,

 

I have stayed away from posting on your two math threads, because I am constitutionally incapable of using just one (or even two) things for math! so I feel like an imposter offering advice. But I do think your plan is doable. We like and use both Khan and LOF (we use MM too).

 

I'm not sure how old your dd is or what level of MM you have completed. I think Khan becomes useable as "main" math at around 5th grade level (math level,not grade/age). You can get both yourself and your dd an account and set yourself up as her coach, but you will need to use different emails, as you can only have one account per email. Alternatively you can just log in as her to check her progress.

 

You can use it different ways - just do it in the order the program suggests, or you can assign her specific areas to work on. I think it would be good to have a goal for the year like "complete the Arithmetic & PreAlgebra playlist." You can see the s&s for the various playlists from the home page, in the math library, and you will be able to see what she has completed and what she has left to do.

 

LOF Fractions and Decimals would be good complements to the A&PreA playlist. I found with my dd that those two books weren't enough to teach her everything on their own, but they were a good conceptual overview which made learning the algorithms (using MM) very quick and easy. I think having Khan for practice and for alternative explanations via the videos would really be helpful.

 

I hope this is useful, if you have specific questions do post again and I'll check back later.

[rowan25]

HA!!!! I love your beginning!!!

 

My daughter is 9 and just finishing 2nd grade of MM. We had some missteps early on with MUS and with MEP---terrible fits for her and much mathematical angst!! We are currently finishing up MM 2 and working through LOF Apples, with plans to continue in sequence.

 

I wonder if using LOF for topic introduction, MM for procedural introduction and Khan for further practice would work? Just thinking outloud.

[Chrysalis Academy]

I think it would work fine. We use MM as a spine, to make sure that we hit everything in a logical order. As you know, the instruction is very incremental, and we definitely skip bits that she doesn't need that level of detail. We also only do around half the problems, if she is getting it. It's way too much to try and do every problem, every page, it would get tedious for sure. But I like that the detail is there if needed.

 

We used LOF, the whole elementary series, in 4th grade, as a way to bring the joy and fund back into math. I think it's great for that, and for making the math relevant to a kid. Now with Fractions & Decimals, she works on it independently once or twice a week.

 

Khan Academy we use for indepedent practice once a week, or on days when I'm not around to teach, and if she gets stuck on a topic I will have her watch Sal's videos.

[rowan25]

Excellent!!! That sounds like exactly what I'm thinking for next year! It's been so nice to see the excitement and fun back for math. It is her weaker subject area, but Fred has brought the whimsy back and she's begging to "play Khan" when her schoolwork is done!!

 

Thanks for the validation!! :)

[Shannon in TN]

Funny you should post this because I was considering the exact same thing for my rising 6th grader. I keep going back and forth between LOF w/ Khan or Horizons 6 w/ LOF mixed in here and there.

[rowan25]

We actually settled on two days of MM, two days of LOF and a day of Khan. Of course, if she wants to "play Khan," I have NOOOOOOO problem with it!! ;-P