TheAutumnOak Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Hi All... I am very discouraged about my son's comprehension...He is having a hard time with the math he is doing and it is from the second grade...He is having a hard time understanding that a+b=c / c-a=b / c-b=a He justs gets the problems wrong and says he can't understand...If he can't add it up in his head, he can't figure out the answer...It doesn't matter how many practice problems we do...Now he is in there playing with his brothers without even caring that he can't figure it out... He is in the 5th grade...Do we need to go back to 1st grade work?...I just don't know what to do...He struggles with simple stuff everyday and it is very discouraging...Even if I considered school, he would be put in special ed at this rate... Sorry if the tone of this sounds mean...I just am really frustrated, in the moment, and not sure what to do... I was told years ago that my son may have processing issues...He was about 7 then, and was going to a private Waldorf school, and we never pursued it...We didn't feel that we could afford any thing extra...Now I am wondering if his lack of understanding could be caused by processing issues... I would appreciate any advice... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinNY Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Do you use manipulatives with him? My dtr has severe memory issues and APD etc. I used alot of the suggestions found in Lindamood-Bells' Cloud Nine manual (I borrowed it from the library). I use the cuisenaire rods with her also. i think Math-U-See would be a good program for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheryl Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Yes, I agree with using manipulatives, but not necessarily MUS. I do believe you need to research it....many programs offer manipulatives that will be best suited to your child. Sheryl <>< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I would strongly suggest trying out Miquon Math. Using the cuisinaire rods along with the curriculum is very helpful for kids trying to "grasp" 'this concept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiD Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 He justs gets the problems wrong and says he can't understand...If he can't add it up in his head, he can't figure out the answer...It doesn't matter how many practice problems we do...Now he is in there playing with his brothers without even caring that he can't figure it out... He is in the 5th grade...Do we need to go back to 1st grade work?...I just don't know what to do...He struggles with simple stuff everyday and it is very discouraging...Even if I considered school, he would be put in special ed at this rate... Sorry if the tone of this sounds mean...I just am really frustrated, in the moment, and not sure what to do... I was told years ago that my son may have processing issues...He was about 7 then, and was going to a private Waldorf school, and we never pursued it...We didn't feel that we could afford any thing extra...Now I am wondering if his lack of understanding could be caused by processing issues... I would appreciate any advice... What type of processing issues might they be? Is math his only challenging area? One of my kids has struggled mightily with math (his processing problems include dyslexia, dysgraphia, CAPD). I'm not sure whether his math difficulties stem from severe dyslexia or "dyscalculia" - no doubt we'd get differing opinions on that one, depending on the expert. :) Anyway, he's almost 12 and working in grade level materials. The way I accomplished this was by spending, easily, about ten times as much one-on-one teaching time with him on math as I've spent my other kids. Programming the basics, one topic at a time, with workbooks, homemade worksheets, software, hundreds of examples, whatever it took to get the underlying concepts to sink in. :tongue_smilie: Lots of time building the basic framework. Luckily, once it finally sinks in, he owns it. It has just taken him a lot longer. Manipulatives were definitely necessary. Also teaching to his learning style - very important. Some websites with helpful materials: http://www.rempub.com/math http://eps.schoolspecialty.com/products/?subject=76S http://www.ganderpublishing.com/On-Cloud-Nine-Math.html HTH. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtsmamtj Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Yes - basics, manipulatives, etc. all helped our son. He did well with MUS because he could go back and review when necessary on the video. We had to hit his processing issue from other angles/subjects as well. When we bent back to the basics, he covered 1-2 years worth of math each year. Our son is now 13 and we started when he was about 9.5. We are still working through some story problems together especially with tax - we don't live in a state with a sales tax so not being able to apply it to real life slows us down a bit, but he is cathing on. T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauranc Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 My 11 yr old has trouble with sequencing. She could not count for the longest time, and I thought she would never understand the concept of addition. (she also has trouble with spelling... which order the letters come in) She knows basic addition facts (doubles-- we used a song to teach her those, +1 and +2 --again, tricks to remember these); but she simply cannot, at this point, memorize any other facts. It was holding her back. She was ready to move forward with concepts, but couldn't remember x + y = z anyway... I typed up an addition facts chart for her. She uses it during math when she cannot remember a fact. It has helped tremendously. I feel that she will not always need the chart, but for now it is helping. She is working at about a late 1st grade math level, but we are at least advancing forward. (BTW.. we are using RightStart Math which has been the best for her) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKlinda Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Teaching math needs to be done as a system where possible. *Students with learning difficulties have trouble memorizing math facts. *Use related facts and regrouping for addition, the math ladder for subtraction. *Multiplication and division are easily taught as a system, eg., times 4 is a double plus a double, divided by 8 cut the number in half three times. Linda. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSheep Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Math U See has worked wonderfully for my kids, who have each had their own (different) issues with math. My dd, especially, is now easily grasping concepts that were like a foreign language to her before. One thing about MUS that is helpful when it comes to backing up and doing remedial work is that it's set up to be very flexible. The amount of time spent on any given lesson or concept is very easy to adjust. This allows us to move quickly through lessons on concepts that are easily grasped, and to spend longer practicing things that are more challenging. The ideas are presented very logically and sequentially, building on each other a little at a time, and concepts and skills continue to be reviewed in future lessons so they're not forgotten. The more I use this program, the more I love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlutterbyMommy Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 We have had an excellent experience with RS math. I feel it does a great job helping my DD understand the process and committing ideas to memory. It is a fabulous curriculum. However, if you suspect there may be processing issues, I would suggest talking with a specialist and considering an evaluation. Curricula is only going to be helpful only to a certain point. You can;t put the cart before the horse so to speak, IMO. If there are in fact processing issues, many strides made may only be temporary and difficult to achieve. In our experience, as my DD worked on her challenges at the root cause, her learning fell into place. So, by talking to someone and even having an evaluation, you may rule out issues or find there are things you need to work on first to help his learning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Is it just math, or is he struggling with academics overall? It might be worth getting some testing done to see exactly what you are dealing with. For my daughter, Christian Light Education Light Units worked the best for math. They had daily review and had just a bit of new material each day. The way it was structured, she was learning how to do more complex problems and things seemed "easy" for her where she always struggled. I did have to bring her down grade level to get to the right level but the placement test would help with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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