lisabees Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 DS13 has dyslexia. Although he is very math minded, he cannot memorize math facts. I thought he at least knew his addition/subtraction, but he uses his fingers (I'm talking 8+3 or 12-7). And he always counts up, even in a subtraction problem. Of course, multiplication/division is tough too. We are new to homeschooling; there is soooo much I am learning about my son and his struggles. Anyway, any advice on the best way to teach him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 TouchMath. http://www.touchmath.com Each number 1-9 is assigned a dot pattern. My oldest was/is the same age as yours. This method is the only thing that works with him. The DVD is free to view on their site or you can request a free 30 day copy. The kits are expensive but not really needed. The method can be used with any program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisabees Posted June 24, 2009 Author Share Posted June 24, 2009 TouchMath. http://www.touchmath.com Each number 1-9 is assigned a dot pattern. My oldest was/is the same age as yours. This method is the only thing that works with him. The DVD is free to view on their site or you can request a free 30 day copy. The kits are expensive but not really needed. The method can be used with any program. You know, I have looked at this site before, but I just don't understand what this method is like. Is it just a supplement to teach the basics? Does it eventually carry over into math with "real" numbers? I can't find a video on the site. Thanks so much. I have heard good things about the program. :) Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Does he grasp the concepts he's learning in math? As you move beyond basic arithmetic to algebra and such, that becomes more important. So what if he has to add on his fingers, or use a calculator? If he knows what he's doing conceptually, and comes up with the right answer, he's learning math. Memorizing math facts is convenient, and useful for most people, but not absolutely necessary to advance in math learning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 http://www.touchmath.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=parentsathome.welcome Here is the parent training link. The method does carry over. It can be used as a supplement or full program. I am sorry. It is rather late here so my mind isn't formulating my sentences well. I will be happy to answer your questions, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 I dont know if this will help or not, but if your son has a nintendo ds there is this 'game' http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/KgQB7Rh85a81xVsPrlD19IxrRFWJaSFu It keeps track of attendance and I just checked my DD's and so far this month she's done 20 sessions-I am a big fan of repetitions. You only get to do the test once per day, but you can do other practice exercises as often as the child wants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samba2nite Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 kumon daily math drills has worked wonders. 10 - 20 minutes a day is all it takes and it took my son who could not remember the simplest of math problems.... 4 + 2 or 3+2. Within 6 months of kumon my son is able to answer 200 math drill probelms in less than 8 minutes with 100% accuracy. His confidence in math is soaring and once he mastered addtion, his subtraction only took one quarter of the time. Now as we approach multiplication he is already telling me he can figure out some of the problems. It is not for everyone, but for us...it has been a blessing. Kumons approach is self mastery. A child does not move on to the next level until they have fully mastered the previous level. This way they are ready to take on the next challenge and each level builds on the one before therefor making it easier for kids. Plus no child takes on concepts until they are ready for them. But again, not all kids are cut for daily drills. I will say that I was the kid who remembered in 3rd grade no longer understanding math. I managed to graduate college with two BA's and an MA with my highest math level being in 8th grade for which I received a D in---math always excaped me which is why I decided it would not my children. Now after 9 months of correcting my childrens Kumon, I no longer need to count on my fingers or write out problems. I too can do them in my Head!!!! yeah MOM! now I have races with my daughter who is a math wize. I am super proud of my kids math skills now and what I have been able to learn too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplain Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 I am very strong in math, but I was still using my fingers to count under the desk in high school. I finally learned to do mental addition when I started a part-time retail job my junior year, and I had to calculate change in my head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alison in KY Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 I am very strong in math, but I was still using my fingers to count under the desk in high school. I finally learned to do mental addition when I started a part-time retail job my junior year, and I had to calculate change in my head. DITTO that here, fingers are built in manipulatives. Yes, the goal is to have them all down, but at 39, I'm glad to occasionaly be able to use my fingers, so if it's for a few facts then I wouldn't worry too much about it. Alison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandamom Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 I work with many students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities and most are able to learn their facts -- eventually :) with a lot of repetition and consistency. I believe that if you can spend 10 minutes per day, 4-7 days per week just working on math facts you will make a difference fairly quickly. My suggestion is to use flashcards for 5 minutes per day and have him learn at least a couple of new facts per day. Review the ones he knows and then add maybe 2 new ones. For an additional few minutes have him solve no less than 10 multiplication facts per day every day, which should take only a couple of minutes. Looks like that could take less than 10 minutes :). If he does not not know how to skip count I would also work on that skill (counting by 2s, 3s, 4s, etc.). I would suggest you keep that routine going at least through the fall. If you stop for a while and he's still taking a while to get through math problems I would start back up again. We also use touch math for adding and it definitely helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 It drove my mom crazy. "I can't believe you have a degree in math and count on your fingers!" :D I finally did force myself to break the habit, but if that's your son's only problem with math, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ack25 Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Just to jump in here... My dd learned touchmath in 2nd grade of ps. I really wished that she hadn't as, 3 years later, she cannot break the counting habit taught by touchmath! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisabees Posted June 30, 2009 Author Share Posted June 30, 2009 Just to jump in here...My dd learned touchmath in 2nd grade of ps. I really wished that she hadn't as, 3 years later, she cannot break the counting habit taught by touchmath! Thank you for that - I had worried about this. I just started Times Tales today - of course, ds thought it was way too babyish. I figure it is worth a shot, though. For addition, I decided to teach him the "Right Start Way" counting by 5's and 10's (I have to figure out how exactly to do this - I'm waiting for the abacus and transition books to arrive). Next, we'll just be very consistent with math drills. Thank you for your input mandamom and samba2nite! ;) Ray, thanks for the nintendo idea. He doesn't have one, but his younger brother does. Sounds like a good idea! Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VanessaS Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 My DH and I are both engineers and quite good at math. And we both still count on our fingers. We both knew our math facts during our elementary school years and promptly forgot them. Our brains just don't do well with rote learning. I learned my multiplication tables by using tricks for each number. It's easier for me to remember a pattern than recall rote information. To tell you the truth, most of the people I know who work in fields that require higher maths use their fingers and struggle with math facts. It's a visual-spatial thing. My ex-boyfriend had a doctorate in physics and he used to mumble to himself when working on computation. But mostly we just use calculators and computers. Sometimes I move my fingers or tap rhythmically on the table when doing math because it just helps me think. I also fidget terribly when I'm trying to concentrate. I am good at counting back change but that's because it's very concrete: I'm holding the change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisabees Posted June 30, 2009 Author Share Posted June 30, 2009 My DH and I are both engineers and quite good at math. And we both still count on our fingers. We both knew our math facts during our elementary school years and promptly forgot them. Our brains just don't do well with rote learning. I learned my multiplication tables by using tricks for each number. It's easier for me to remember a pattern than recall rote information. To tell you the truth, most of the people I know who work in fields that require higher maths use their fingers and struggle with math facts. It's a visual-spatial thing. My ex-boyfriend had a doctorate in physics and he used to mumble to himself when working on computation. But mostly we just use calculators and computers. Sometimes I move my fingers or tap rhythmically on the table when doing math because it just helps me think. I also fidget terribly when I'm trying to concentrate. I am good at counting back change but that's because it's very concrete: I'm holding the change. That's very interesting! My son has an incredible (in fact, sometimes freaky) visual-spatial memory. He is actually really good at understanding mathematical concepts, but just can't remember those darn facts. It slows him down quite a bit. Maybe he'll be an engineer, eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyJoy Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 My DH and I are both engineers and quite good at math. And we both still count on our fingers. We both knew our math facts during our elementary school years and promptly forgot them. Our brains just don't do well with rote learning. I learned my multiplication tables by using tricks for each number. It's easier for me to remember a pattern than recall rote information. To tell you the truth, most of the people I know who work in fields that require higher maths use their fingers and struggle with math facts. It's a visual-spatial thing. My ex-boyfriend had a doctorate in physics and he used to mumble to himself when working on computation. But mostly we just use calculators and computers. Add my dh to your anecdote list! He is a dyslexic engineer who never learned his multiplication facts. He can find the answer when necessary, but they aren't automatic to him. They were drilled at his school but he rebelled against memorizing "pointless" facts even as an 8-year-old. He took college Calculus 3 at age 16, but can't tell me 7x8 quickly. This was really strange to me at first, as I was the super Mad Minute queen and loved timed drills! We just had a conversation about this yesterday where we agreed he's not allowed to tell our kids this, however, unless they turn out to learn more like him than me.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisabees Posted June 30, 2009 Author Share Posted June 30, 2009 (edited) Add my dh to your anecdote list! He is a dyslexic engineer who never learned his multiplication facts. He can find the answer when necessary, but they aren't automatic to him. They were drilled at his school but he rebelled against memorizing "pointless" facts even as an 8-year-old. He took college Calculus 3 at age 16, but can't tell me 7x8 quickly. This was really strange to me at first, as I was the super Mad Minute queen and loved timed drills! We just had a conversation about this yesterday where we agreed he's not allowed to tell our kids this, however, unless they turn out to learn more like him than me.:D I'm the OP. My ds13, the one I posted about, is dyslexic. My dh and his sister are what some may call stealth dyslexics (highly gifted, no trouble reading;great comprehension). My dh's brother, on the other hand, is a classic dyslexic, like my ds. Wouldn't you know that he is an engineer! Edited June 30, 2009 by lisabees Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Add my dh to your anecdote list! He is a dyslexic engineer who never learned his multiplication facts. He can find the answer when necessary, but they aren't automatic to him. They were drilled at his school but he rebelled against memorizing "pointless" facts even as an 8-year-old. He took college Calculus 3 at age 16, but can't tell me 7x8 quickly. This was really strange to me at first, as I was the super Mad Minute queen and loved timed drills! We just had a conversation about this yesterday where we agreed he's not allowed to tell our kids this, however, unless they turn out to learn more like him than me.:D Some months back I read a memoir by the Nobel Prize winning physicist Richard Feynman (Surely You're Joking, Mr Feynman! ) and I was struck by his mention that he and many of the most brilliant mathematicians he worked with were not necessarily very adept at basic math and "math facts". Interesting. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawna in Texas Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 DS13 has dyslexia. Although he is very math minded, he cannot memorize math facts. I thought he at least knew his addition/subtraction, but he uses his fingers (I'm talking 8+3 or 12-7). And he always counts up, even in a subtraction problem. Of course, multiplication/division is tough too. We are new to homeschooling; there is soooo much I am learning about my son and his struggles. Anyway, any advice on the best way to teach him? I always feel a compulsion to use my fingers. I know that 8+5=13, but will use my fingers everytime. Only on addition, though. Subtracting gives me no problems. My DD (11) can't memorize facts for anything, but she can draw a bar diagram better than me, so I call it a wash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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