Help! Is our ds a right-brained learner?

[Sputterduck]

lol! I would think that 5 golf balls would be a predictable answer for him! He's a sports oriented right-brainer... what else would he see?

 

What is in your head when you say the word five? I've never really gotten to analyze a person who is left-brained. Now I'm really curious. What is in your head when you do math?

 

His "I just do" answer for knowing something may be because visual math is pretty much instant. If I am adding 5 and 4, I have the 5 dots and the 4 dots in my head. The answer is right there. If there are 5 dots and 4 dots, there are 9 dots. There is no thought or computation. The answer is just there the instant the problem is there. It might be very hard for a young child to explain how they know something when it is just that instant.

Edited October 21, 2009 by Sputterduck

[Wyndie]

My son sees dots in his head for math. It started with pennies and then moved to dots. He struggles with math too. :confused: My daughter, a VERY right brained dominant child, knows answers to math without being able to explain why. That book I recommended explains that concept and I'm sure it's covered in other books as well. Some kids (and adults) see whole-to-part while others see part-to-whole. Knowing which one he sees (and it sounds like he's whole -to-part) will help you know how to teach him.

 

:grouphug: I recently told my son it was hard for me to teach him math b/c he gets so frustrated and I am no good at math either. It's a learning process for both of us and I don't like it any more than he does but we are struggling thru it. You'll find the right thing I'm sure.

[smilesonly]

lol! I would think that 5 golf balls would be a predictable answer for him! He's a sports oriented right-brainer... what else would he see?

 

What is in your head when you say the word five? I've never really gotten to analyze a person who is left-brained. Now I'm really curious. What is in your head when you do math?

 

His "I just do" answer for knowing something may be because visual math is pretty much instant. If I am adding 5 and 4, I have the 5 dots and the 4 dots in my head. The answer is right there. If there are 5 dots and 4 dots, there are 9 dots. There is no thought or computation. The answer is just there the instant the problem is there. It might be very hard for a young child to explain how they know something when it is just that instant.

 

Yes, I know! I wasn't entirely surprised by his answer, either.

 

When I think of FIVE, I see this:5. When I am at the store, and figuring out the change I am due back, I literally see the numbers on a page set up in column formation.

 

Thanks for sharing this. I do believe you're right-it's just hard for him to explain (even as verbal as he is) how they are processing things. It's hard for me to explain it sometimes!

[smilesonly]

My son sees dots in his head for math. It started with pennies and then moved to dots. He struggles with math too. :confused: My daughter, a VERY right brained dominant child, knows answers to math without being able to explain why. That book I recommended explains that concept and I'm sure it's covered in other books as well. Some kids (and adults) see whole-to-part while others see part-to-whole. Knowing which one he sees (and it sounds like he's whole -to-part) will help you know how to teach him.

 

:grouphug: I recently told my son it was hard for me to teach him math b/c he gets so frustrated and I am no good at math either. It's a learning process for both of us and I don't like it any more than he does but we are struggling thru it. You'll find the right thing I'm sure.

 

Thanks, Wyndie.

 

Your post is comforting to me, as it makes me feel so not alone.

 

I'm SUPER excited, as I am able to borrow the book _Upside-Down Brilliance_ from a woman in my hsing group. I also just spoke with our ILL dept., and was told they would special order the Unicorn book! Yay!!

[coffeefreak]

For all the praising i've been doing of our library system, it has not a single book on this subject. I have put in orders through ILL, but that will take some time.

 

I get that I have TONS of reading to do. I get that my ds is different than others. I think I just need to start with his inability to grasp number concepts. I am not a numbers person, so more specific suggestions would be great.

 

When asking him how he knows something, his answer is,"I don't know" or "I just do"-if I pry, he gets frustrated. I asked him what he *sees* in his mind?head when I say the word FIVE-his answer was he sees five golf balls.:confused:

 

Math is on hold for now. It is absolutely ridiculous to put him in front of math when he says he hates it. It is heartbreaking to here that such a young child would even hate math to the point of tears.

 

I am frustrated and in tears right now. Specific and GENTLE posts would be most helpful.

 

Thanks,

Smiles

 

:grouphug:

 

It will be OK. The math cards give you a place to start. We took over a month off from math because we were doing the same thing. He is not LD just because he doesn't understand. We all have strengths and weaknesses in our learning styles and the public schools have no choice but to put everyone in boxes. You are one step ahead! You have taken him out of his "box" and you will find something to help him understand. Sometimes it is about the "how" and she learns differently than my other children. I am not a numbers person either. I am VERY left brained. Think anal list maker :D. She is not. Taking time off is good. Build back up your relationship and make school comfortable again. Then, start with the cards. My dd was so open to the cards because they weren't flashcards, or worksheets, and they were colorful. After a couple of weeks doing only the cards. Ease back into a curriculum. Something simple and new, that you haven't tried before. If he likes color, go with A Beka or Horizons. If color is distracting, Rod and Staff or MCP. Take your time and don't do drills. Let him use the cards freely. It will build his confidence and it will ease him back in.

 

:grouphug:

Blessings!

Dorinda

[coffeefreak]

lol! I would think that 5 golf balls would be a predictable answer for him! He's a sports oriented right-brainer... what else would he see?

 

What is in your head when you say the word five? I've never really gotten to analyze a person who is left-brained. Now I'm really curious. What is in your head when you do math?

 

His "I just do" answer for knowing something may be because visual math is pretty much instant. If I am adding 5 and 4, I have the 5 dots and the 4 dots in my head. The answer is right there. If there are 5 dots and 4 dots, there are 9 dots. There is no thought or computation. The answer is just there the instant the problem is there. It might be very hard for a young child to explain how they know something when it is just that instant.

 

LOL! I see nothing. :lol: I'm an auditory learner. I take notes and then I see the notes in my head, but a lot of times I just remember what I heard. That's why math was so hard for me. It's just a bunch of numbers on the page. I had to do my best to memorize my facts and that's what I did.

[lgm]

Yes, I know! I wasn't entirely surprised by his answer, either.

 

When I think of FIVE, I see this:5. When I am at the store, and figuring out the change I am due back, I literally see the numbers on a page set up in column formation.

 

Thanks for sharing this. I do believe you're right-it's just hard for him to explain (even as verbal as he is) how they are processing things. It's hard for me to explain it sometimes!

 

 

I used to see the larger numbers like that too - trained in to me from elementary school. Literally a blackboard in my head with lots of numerals and operation signs. I could also see it visually (spots), but I wasn't able to do anything with the higher numbers without the chalkboard in the head. I had a college prof who would bet us on various things...one of which was rapid mental addition of large numbers so that 'back of the envelope' figuring wouldn't be impeded by the needed for pencil and paper calculations. Singapore Primary Math showed me what he was doing -- regrouping in ways the mind can handle.

 

With your son - if he's seeing the number as objects in his mind, that's fantastic. He's way ahead of many students, who cannot look at a number and visualize objects or look at a small number of objects and w/o counting, know how many there are. Can he look at all the faces on a dotted die and tell how many without counting? How about two dice? Can he tell if one die's number is bigger than the other? How about smaller? Can he match numerals to sets of objects?

 

In general, with math, the student is looking to understand the language of math in verbal, visual , and symbolic form. Usually visual youngsters need to be filled in on the verbal...they've worked quite a lot out for themselves but do not have the words to go with the pictures.

 

Here's a another link for you: http://thinkingwithnumbers.com/QuestionsAnswers/index.html

and a book w/a lot detail on left/right brain and how they work together:

"Disconnected Kids" by Dr. Robert Melillo ISBN 978-0-399-53475-1

and finally a book with ideas about minds and learning: "Why Don't Students Like School" by Daniel T. Willingham ISBN 978-0-470-27930-4

 

Don't worry...many kids are like your ds. I have two of them. One was burned in elementary school, but Singapore Primary Math and Ed Zaccarro's Challenge Math rescued him. He loves math and has been on the school math team for a few years now.

 

In the meantime, play some dominoes and consider buying Mille Borne. Mille Borne is a card game with cars and you race to a certain mileage. For younger ones, simplify the rules and don't use the 25, 50, and 75 mile cards until they've learned to mentally add quarters.

Edited October 22, 2009 by lgm
added book info

[Chris in VA]

Smilesonly,

 

I've re-read this thread several times. My very first thought after reading your original post was that your son sounds a bit like mine. He did fine memorizing math facts, but has a lot of trouble with math beyond the basics. He got up to beginning Trig and Precalc with my dh, but is just taking the very basic college math at his university now, and can't wait for it to be over! lol He is right-brain dominant, and has mixed modality, which means he's right-handed and left-footed. He never learned to ride a bike (gave up after just a bit of practice and now feels too old), is very visual (wants to go into film making), and has some anxiety issues.

 

We did test him in 4th grade for Aspergers, but they said he doesn't have it. I think, tho, that he fits so much of the criteria that he really does have it, just a more mild case.

 

Something that really, really stood out in your description of your son was his love of all things sports-related, even to the point of something in that catagory being his favorite mental manipulative! (Gently) This is classic Aspie. The anxiety and even the math difficulties are also quite common concurrent issues in some Aspies.

 

IIWY, I would get an evaluation for him. We decided to have ds re-evaluated, even tho he's 20 now. I think it will help him to have greater self-knowledge, then he can decide what to do with it.

 

Anyway, sounds like you have had some excellent advice--children are complicated, being human! I hope you find ways to support your son.