mystika1 Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 Hi, After having used several math curriculum with my math hating daughter.(7) I sat down with her today and had a discussion with her. We have hopped around so much that refuse to buy another math. My daughter told me that she prefers MUS over MM for a variety of reasons. Anyway, I still have all of the materials so I wouldn't have to purchase anything. I am a believer in having the child understand math to the best of their ability. I do like MUS. I also like all of the other math we have used.:D I just wanted to get the opinion of others. Do you consider mus a mental math curriculum? This is not meant to start trouble as I understand each child is different and opinions will vary. It just seems that only a select few math choices fit into "mental math." How does MUS stack up?:) Thanks so much, Penny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna T. Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 (edited) If by mental math you mean having the ability to figure math without paper and pencil or calculator and with using estimating and rounding (lots of estimating/rounding in MUS), then yes, MUS is strong in that regard. Atleast, my son's experience (started with Alpha, now almost done with Delta) has been very positive. He is great at mental math and it's actually a bother because he doesn't want to slow down to show his work, which we require him to do anyways :glare:. Edited June 7, 2010 by Donna T. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkermamaof4 Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 If you have the time to read Liping Ma's book Knowing and teaching elementary mathematics, I think it would help you understand what you are really looking for in a math program. Then you could really decide conclusively yourself. It is such a helpful resource! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mystika1 Posted June 8, 2010 Author Share Posted June 8, 2010 :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen+4dc Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 If by mental math you mean having the ability to figure math without paper and pencil or calculator and with using estimating and rounding (lots of estimating/rounding in MUS), then yes, MUS is strong in that regard. Atleast, my son's experience (started with Alpha, now almost done with Delta) has been very positive. He is great at mental math and it's actually a bother because he doesn't want to slow down to show his work, which we require him to do anyways :glare:. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 If you have the time to read Liping Ma's book Knowing and teaching elementary mathematics, I think it would help you understand what you are really looking for in a math program. Then you could really decide conclusively yourself. It is such a helpful resource! :iagree: Here is a link to the Liping Ma book; you can get used copies for around $5, or you might be able to get it through your library. It has probably been more influential, in terms of homeschooling, than any other book I've read. Highly recommended! Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cheryl in SoCal Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 If you have the time to read Liping Ma's book Knowing and teaching elementary mathematics, I think it would help you understand what you are really looking for in a math program. Then you could really decide conclusively yourself. It is such a helpful resource! :iagree: I put that I was undecided because... I'm undecided:lol: My kids have great mental math skills from using MUS but I don't know that it really focuses on mental math like some curricula. I guess the proof is in the pudding but I'm still not sure I'd call it a mental math curriculum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cheryl in SoCal Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 If by mental math you mean having the ability to figure math without paper and pencil or calculator and with using estimating and rounding (lots of estimating/rounding in MUS), then yes, MUS is strong in that regard. Atleast, my son's experience (started with Alpha, now almost done with Delta) has been very positive. He is great at mental math and it's actually a bother because he doesn't want to slow down to show his work, which we require him to do anyways :glare:. You have just described my sons. I wish I had a nickel for every time I've had to tell them that it doesn't matter if they can do it in their heads, they still have to show their work:rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mystika1 Posted June 8, 2010 Author Share Posted June 8, 2010 :auto: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razorbackmama Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 I can only share my experience. We have been using MUS for the past 2 years. This year we added in some Singapore Math for some variety and exposure to different concepts. When my 3 students got to portions of SM where it gave different mental math strategies and told them to add/subtract "using mental math," they wrote out the problem in columns and calculated the answer that way, NOT in their head. It wasn't just one child, it was all 3. Therefore, I answered no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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