Need opinions on MUS w/dyslexic ds

[myboyluvsdinos]

Hi there,

I'm a new member, and I'd like to get some opinions on Math-U-See from people who have used it in middle school.

 

I've been using it for 3 years for my ds, who is a rising 6th grader. He is severely dyslexic, yet gifted. I do think the mastery approach works well for him, as opposed to the spiraling approach taken by some other programs.

 

While I have been overall pleased with MUS (and he says he doesn't want to switch), I did notice a few things this year that weren't ideal. It almost seemed like some concepts were made harder than they needed to be. For example, learning to divide fractions. At the beginning of the year, it taught a very long, drawn-out method so the students would understand what they were doing, which was fine. But the program doesn't teach the quick way (multiply by the reciprocal), until near the end of the year. My guy got really bogged down, so I showed him the shortcut early.

 

Also, some of the problems get REALLY long, with a lot of steps to follow, which is difficult for my ds. He tends to lose track of where he is in the process -- his working memory and processing speed are low. Maybe this is how all math programs are, though. I just don't know, because we haven't used anything else.

 

I've heard about Teaching Textbooks, but I don't think that's the right fit for us. Maybe MUS is, but I was just hoping some others could share if MUS worked for them in the long run, or if they switched to something better.

 

Thanks!

Carolyn

[EKS]

I used MUS (Beta-Zeta) to remediate some math issues my dyslexic/gifted son had. We used all of the levels over the course of one year.

 

Unless his dyslexia specifically affects his ability to do math, I wouldn't use it as the primary program for a gifted child, dyslexic or not. However, that said, I think going through Zeta (it sounds like he used Epsilon this past year) would be a good thing as it completes the sequence of arithmetic. Then if he needs it you can move to another prealgebra or go directly into algebra. After Zeta, my son went straight into Jacobs Algebra and had no problems. However, if you think he might need a review of arithmetic prior to moving into algebra, Lial's Basic College Mathematics is excellent.

[myboyluvsdinos]

Thanks for your reply/advice Kai. Do you mind sharing why you wouldn't use MUS as the primary program with a gifted child?

 

Thanks!

Carolyn

[SailorMom]

My Ds did great with MUS until Zeta. For some reason - it just tanked that year. We had to change a few months in.

I've actually heard this from a LOT of people :)

[tvaleri]

DD wanted to try ps in 9th grade. So, I purchased an older edition of Algebra 1 to refresh myself. However, it had lots of errors. Made learning difficult. DD flourished in ps; actually had an A in Algebra 1. All the credit to the teacher. She did come back home. At that point, she worked through geometry. We had to use Khan Academy and some other stuff to supplement. The teaching was "fuzzy."

 

After geometry, I switched her to TT Algebra 2. (Mainly b/c a friend let me borrow it =) She will begin TT Pre-Cal in August.

 

DD loves TT. She has had the highest math scores-ever (on standardized tests and community college placement tests). She says she enjoys TT much better than MUS.

 

Just our experience with one student.

 

Smiles,

Teresa in NC

 

Forgot to mention dd has auditory processing disorder and struggles with math; even MUS. Taking notes while listening to the lecture and having the book open to the lesson helps tremendously.

Edited June 22, 2011 by tvaleri
left out important information

[EKS]

Thanks for your reply/advice Kai. Do you mind sharing why you wouldn't use MUS as the primary program with a gifted child?

 

 

Gifted children need more opportunity for thinking abstractly, and MUS is very concrete in its approach, in my opinion too concrete for a gifted child at the upper levels (again, assuming that this child is a strong math student).

 

Also, to be frank, there is no way I would put something called "Math U See" on a textbook list or course description as part of a college admissions package.

Edited June 23, 2011 by EKS

[Paisley Hedgehog]

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