Executive function tools for accelerated learners (and their moms)

[quark]

We chose to accelerate my son in math and science because that's what seemed best at the time. We don't regret this decision and I am happy to say that he is thriving and really loving to learn. However, many of the mechanical/ organizational skills that will be automatic to a child doing the same level of work at the usual (older) age do not come as easily to my guy. It's natural and to be expected and he is getting the hang of it all with practice but it has taken time and patience on my side to assure him that it's okay to make exec function type of errors and that he has time to work on them.

 

I have seen similar executive function concerns among other parents, especially those newer to acceleration in homeschooling so I thought I should start a thread. Perhaps others can add what they have done with their own kiddos so that we can collectively learn and also direct anxious newbie parents to this thread in the future.

 

So here are some strategies/ tools I've used to help him. His biggest challenge is in the writing department: how to communicate his thoughts and how to show his work clearly. These are simple strategies (i.e. commonsense for most of us) but possibly not intuitive to an accelerated younger child.

 

1. One of the first communication challenges we faced post-acceleration was with algebra. Showing his work did not come easily to a kid who preferred using a whiteboard and doing math in his head. I had allowed him to do that liberally with arithmetic so I think I lost some hair during the first months of algebra because he would assume I could read his mind. He also doesn't like to write but thankfully discovered he didn't mind writing math as much. The most useful tool was graph paper notebooks. I bought us both graph paper notebooks and did the course side by side with him. Initially, we kept lessons short, and he was given the opportunity to only show his work for 2 or 3 problems at a time, gradually increasing it to half the problems and then all the problems. I do not require him to write out the question/ problem if it's a longer word problem. But I do require him to show every step. Because I did it right next to him, he could see how I wrote the equations, what was the next step, how I aligned the signs etc. A lot of it was intuitive for him if done in his head but putting it down on paper was not. He took 10 months to complete the course and by month 4 or 5 or so, he was much more comfortable with the whole process. After a while, I even managed to show him how not to waste paper by drawing a line down the middle of the page so that each page had two columns. I had to physically draw it for him a few times and eventually he did it himself. Longer word problems were left to their own separate page.

 

I had to keep gently (and once or twice not so gently, I admit) reminding him that his instructor couldn't read his mind and that his work needed to be clear and neat.

 

2. For work where he is not using graph paper, e.g. worksheets that we have to download from other outsourced programs, I sometimes put a light cross with pencil where he should start writing (nearer to the left margin, otherwise, he sometimes starts at the middle of the space!) and remind him that if he needs to write more and runs out of space, he can continue on a blank sheet of note or printer paper. I have to remind him to do this, otherwise he makes his writing super tiny to fit into the space and I know the instructor will not be able to read it clearly (because we have to scan and email the work for grading but I would make him do even if I was grading him, just for learning the skill). I ask him to write his name on the top right corner and the question/ problem number on the top left (please let me know if there's a better system than this, especially for physics/ chemistry). And before he starts the new sheet, he indicates on the original worksheet that he has continued the answer on a separate sheet of paper marked with the question number.

 

3.One issue we've been having is with the eraser. He rarely erases mistakes completely off the page so that when he or I scan the sheet for emailing to the instructor, one can see shadows of erased/ non erased work. I would leave it be if I didn't have to scan it for his teacher but unfortunately, my scanner picks up all the shadows clearly. I've had to convince him that it's okay to cross out that section instead of erasing it, e.g. draw a box around it and draw two diagonal, crossing lines to indicate that the instructor doesn't need to see that section. Anyone else have a child reluctant to do this? It's taken a while but he is slowly beginning to understand that this is acceptable. I'm wondering if using a pen for his work instead of a pencil will be more helpful to overcome the resistance.

 

4. Previously, we rarely used tests. I didn't need to because I was working so closely with him and could easily see his progress/ areas of concern. Acceleration through outsourced classes has meant taking tests from outside instructors and having to study for them too. Again, I think he actually enjoys the challenge because he has never complained (and I suspect he likes impressing his teachers) but I now have to teach him test-taking skills. How would you teach time management during tests? There are a number of books I can read on the subject but I've always benefited from responses from experienced moms/ dads here. He used to refuse to skip questions and come back to them later but now he is slowly understanding the benefits of doing so.

 

5. Due to outsourcing, and using a lot of other websites for research, documentaries, as visualization tools (e.g. Geogebra), I have created a free website and made menus (subject names) for all the links he needs. I made him a part of the creation process so that he could see two things: one, how to use the site, two: how helpful it is to keep things clearly organized. I created a rough schedule, saved it as a jpeg and inserted it as a picture into the website's homepage. So he logs on first thing in the morning, sees what's suggested for the day and clicks on each menu and the suitable drop-down link to start work. When I had time, I created separate pages marked 2011, 2012, 2013 etc so that I can have a running record of the key courses/ links used by year as well. I also have a list of books read in there somewhere that I need to organize but if you have a shelfari or goodreads account, you could easily just link it there. I wanted to share how much this helps our homeschooling especially with getting ready to start work every morning and for me to keep records of what we've done. You can do this easily using a free blogging platform or free website provider.

 

Overall, these strategies are working for us so I'm happy. Please share experiences and other problems you've encountered when accelerating your child and how you've managed to solve them.

[regentrude]

Just a few suggestions - we never had issues, so I don't think I can contribute much.

 

1. One of the first communication challenges we faced post-acceleration was with algebra. Showing his work did not come easily to a kid who preferred using a whiteboard and doing math in his head.

 

I think showing math work is an issue for all kids, and they have to be taught how to do so.

We also use only graph paper for math and taught the kids to write one equation per line. Run-on equations are a problem, often the students will perform operations while still dragging the equation sign - even though the expressions are no longer equal. So, we are strict: one equation per line; the next equation goes underneath on the next line, with the equal signs aligned.

Your student's future math and science prof will be grateful (ask me how I know)

 

I ask him to write his name on the top right corner and the question/ problem number on the top left (please let me know if there's a better system than this, especially for physics/ chemistry).

That works fine. Right top corner for names makes it easy for an instructor to flip through stapled stacks of pages. Getting in the habit of writing the problem numbers is great. Also dating the pages is even better.

 

3.One issue we've been having is with the eraser. He rarely erases mistakes completely off the page so that when he or I scan the sheet for emailing to the instructor, one can see shadows of erased/ non erased work. I would leave it be if I didn't have to scan it for his teacher but unfortunately, my scanner picks up all the shadows clearly.

 

You can edit the file and change the tone curve to enhance contrast and remove shadows before sending to the instructor. I do this all the time when I scan handwritten solutions to post on my website. It gets rid of smudges.

I would, for an entirely different reason, encourage to cross out instead of erasing: sometimes, on a longer problem, it turns out that the stuff you though is wrong is actually correct - if it is only crossed out, it is still there.

 

4.. How would you teach time management during tests?

 

When my DD began taking college classes at age 13, she prepared for exams using the professor's old exams from previous years that had been made available to the students. Typically, the exams for a particular class follow a certain pattern:.I, for example, give six conceptual multiple choice question on the first page, and three long fully worked problems on subsequent pages. The student can then use the practice tests to familiarize himself with the format and will know that he has to budget a quarter of the exam time for each page. I encourage my students to keep track of time and to move on to set up and begin all other problems if they get bogged down in calculations for one question. I would expect any outside course provider to give the students an idea of what to expect on exams.

DD usually works several available practice exams as prep.

 

I'd like to add two thoughts:

 

I would recommend getting a child used to working with a planner. DD keeps her planner to keep track of her assignments, test dates etc. DS uses his for keeping a log of what he worked on (we have no fixed schedule), and sometimes for me to put specific assignments. I find it helpful that they are used to having a planner as a tool.

 

If your student takes outside courses, I would find important to teach proper communication with an adult instructor. As a college instructor, I am appalled how many students have no idea how to write an email to a professor that has an informative subject line, an appropriate greeting, and all pertinent information such as student's name and class, is business like and friendly but not chatty, inappropriate, or rude. This is a skill children need to be taught; they will then feel more comfortable communicating with their outside teachers and get better results from this communication. I helped with, and read over, the first few emails my DD sent to her professors before she hit send.

[quark]

Thanks so much regentrude. I was hoping you would comment.

 

 

Also dating the pages is even better.

 

Yes, he tries to remember to do that. Still working on it. :)

 

You can edit the file and change the tone curve to enhance contrast and remove shadows before sending to the instructor. I do this all the time when I scan handwritten solutions to post on my website. It gets rid of smudges.

I would, for an entirely different reason, encourage to cross out instead of erasing: sometimes, on a longer problem, it turns out that the stuff you though is wrong is actually correct - if it is only crossed out, it is still there.

 

Agreed. Another reason I've been asking him to cross it out instead. He once wrote all his steps out for physics, erased the page thinking it was wrong then started sobbing because he needed to write it out again after realizing he was right after all. A good learning opportunity although it was a sad moment.

 

When my DD began taking college classes at age 13, she prepared for exams using the professor's old exams from previous years that had been made available to the students. Typically, the exams for a particular class follow a certain pattern:.I, for example, give six conceptual multiple choice question on the first page, and three long fully worked problems on subsequent pages. The student can then use the practice tests to familiarize himself with the format and will know that he has to budget a quarter of the exam time for each page. I encourage my students to keep track of time and to move on to set up and begin all other problems if they get bogged down in calculations for one question. I would expect any outside course provider to give the students an idea of what to expect on exams.

DD usually works several available practice exams as prep.

 

Great advice. Thank you!

 

I'd like to add two thoughts:

 

I would recommend getting a child used to working with a planner. DD keeps her planner to keep track of her assignments, test dates etc. DS uses his for keeping a log of what he worked on (we have no fixed schedule), and sometimes for me to put specific assignments. I find it helpful that they are used to having a planner as a tool.

 

Need to start working on this!

 

If your student takes outside courses, I would find important to teach proper communication with an adult instructor. As a college instructor, I am appalled how many students have no idea how to write an email to a professor that has an informative subject line, an appropriate greeting, and all pertinent information such as student's name and class, is business like and friendly but not chatty, inappropriate, or rude. This is a skill children need to be taught; they will then feel more comfortable communicating with their outside teachers and get better results from this communication. I helped with, and read over, the first few emails my DD sent to her professors before she hit send.

 

Yes, we've been doing this since DS started outsourced classes at age 8. Working with him in the beginning was extremely helpful for him and he is very confident doing it alone now. Breaking the steps into small pieces and being praised for well-formed emails afterwards have helped him to be careful and feel good about doing it himself too.

 

Thanks again!

 

[Halcyon]

Hijack-

Do you recommend an electronic planner? I am considering having my son use Google Calendar as he keeps "misplacing" his paper calendar.

[regentrude]

Hijack-

Do you recommend an electronic planner? I am considering having my son use Google Calendar as he keeps "misplacing" his paper calendar.

 

I don't, because I want portability. DD carries her planner everywhere and has a small format so it fits into her purse. I use a paper planner, too.

DS OTOH- really, I don't need yet another legitimate reason for him to get on the computer during school time, LOL. That somehow always ends up distracting.

 

I'd switch to electronic with an older student who wants to do it on his phone. But we all just have dumb phones.

[ccolopy]

Hijack-

Do you recommend an electronic planner? I am considering having my son use Google Calendar as he keeps "misplacing" his paper calendar.

My 12yo has done well with Google Calendar. He "shares" his calendar with me, so I can update it too. Every morning, he does his work for his online class first, and he's gotten into a good routine of checking his e-mail and calendar before he gets started.

[boscopup]

Quark, my son has trouble with erasing too. And he didn't like crossing things out, but using IEW this year got him over his fear of crossing things out, and now he crosses out TOO much (like scribbling a letter in the middle of a word during spelling), so I'm having to teach him when it's ok to cross out and when it's not. ;)

 

The other day, he had worked a problem in his math, and then erased it all because he didn't get an answer. I told him that he had actually been on the right track, but since he erased it, it was hard to tell where he went wrong! That same day, we were working CWP problems on the board at the same time, and he erased his work as he was melting down ("my method isn't working! <boohoo>"), and I had to give him the lecture about leaving it up so we can see where he went wrong, because it might just be one digit was off or something.

 

For lining up work on the left side, we're getting a LOT better. He now does English on loose leaf paper (R&S), and then the Singapore textbook Practice sections are done on paper. I had to tell him last year that the red line was his friend, and we went over where to put the number, where to start the problem, when to go to the next line, etc. His English is looking really nice now. His math is still a bit messy, so we'll work on that. He's 8, so I'm not *too* strict... yet. He won't be doing outside classes anytime soon. I do stress to him that if I can't read it, it's wrong. I am amazed at how much I have to explicitly teach... like when he's using a notebook page and runs out of room, he doesn't just flip the notebook over (thus doing the back of the page *before* the one he started on). He needs to actually turn the page and write on the back side of the page he started on. I had to laugh that one time he did that, and I was trying to find his work! :lol: "Sweetheart, it works just like a book." :)

[Mukmuk]

This is fantastic.

 

For math, we call it the "equal column". It just makes for easier identification to have a name for this. We have a lot of difficulty with showing work, and this is constant work in progress. He's showing some now, but I suspect we have less problems because math isn't outsourced, and no one except his mind-reading mom gets to read his work. He only has one-on-one classes where he talks through his solutions (his math mentor is not in academia which is why he's probably less demanding in this regard).

 

Erasing- ds uses white-out tape. We eat this in our house. It doesn't eliminate incomplete white-out, ie, you still have parts of the word showing underneath, but it's legible. But ds uses white-out tape because he finds it easier to write with a pen (he's dysgraphic). *Is there an advantage/pencil to using pencil?* (sorry can't italicise this to grab attention as I'm on the ipad).

 

We use a printed calendar. Not a computer based solution, but someone posted a free ipad download to iStudiez that looks awesome. I plan to have ds key in his plans. Eventually.

[quark]

Loving the responses. Please keep them coming. Please keep more examples coming too. Good to know we're not alone in the erasing and crying department. :)

[Tracy]

This is such a great idea for a thread. My dd7 is actually behind her age-peers in her executive skills, specifically in time management, processing speed, and working memory. Right now, we are just working on following a schedule and creating routines and habits. I really worry about when she is old enough to take a class, but I don't see how she could possibly keep up. Ds4 can follow his schedule better than she can follow hers. At this point, I don't think I could even put her in charge of making a schedule. I will be following this thread closely.

[Dmmetler]

Tracy, I'd say that when you're ready to try classes, try Athena's. The way those classes are broken down, it's a nice intermediate step for the child, and we've been able to use that broken down task list to look ahead and for DD to start planning that, for example, Thursday is usually our really busy day, so she doesn't want anything too time consuming to do.

 

Erasing is definitely an issue here, as is showing work-I think multi-step problems and having to start over from scratch if you make a mistake is slowly convincing her of the need of the latter. Another big issue here is that DD will start math problems in the MIDDLE of the page, and they usually end up taking an entire page, so a LoF bridge can easily take 5 double sided pages in her notebook (I use graph paper composition notebooks for math.-I have a visual-spatial LD, so I NEED those extra lines, even if she doesn't!).

[Tattarrattat]

About erasing. For AoPS courses,they instructed the students to cross out (not erase)the section with mistakes, and rewrite that part of solution, that is, if they were submitting handwritten solutions. For DS, I typed what he wrote on the paper for him for his very first one or two assignments. After that, he managed to type his solutions directly in Word using built-in math symbols. Time consuming, but he got better gradually. He then learned more about LaTeX, so he was able to do it faster for later courses.

[wapiti]

After that, he managed to type his solutions directly in Word using built-in math symbols. Time consuming, but he got better gradually. He then learned more about LaTeX, so he was able to do it faster for later courses.

 

So, this is worth trying then? My ds9s (one of whom is in AoPS Prealgebra at the moment) have handwriting issues/slow processing speed. The psych recommends typing but didn't think it would help to type math. At what age did you start this?

[Tattarrattat]

For my son it's worth it. His handwriting speed is decent, not super fast not slow either. But for AoPS courses, I felt handwritten solutions would add extra work load to the graders. That was why I let him submit typed solutions. (I think for the new format, everything has to be submitted online anyway.)

 

He started typing math at a fairly young age (a bit younger than your son), but has improved quite a lot over time. Learning LaTex was definitely helpful. His overall typing speed is quite good as well, for a kid. Posting on message boards, occasionally using Typing Instructor and real-time typing race games helped too(He learned about the game from other AoPSers). He prefers typing to handwriting if possible, but there are still plenty of time that he needs to write on paper, and he's fine with that.

 

HTH

[wapiti]

For my son it's worth it. His handwriting speed is decent, not super fast not slow either. But for AoPS courses, I felt handwritten solutions would add extra work load to the graders. That was why I let him submit typed solutions. (I think for the new format, everything has to be submitted online anyway.)

 

He started typing math at a fairly young age (a bit younger than your son), but has improved quite a lot over time. Learning LaTex was definitely helpful. His overall typing speed is quite good as well, for a kid. Posting on message boards, occasionally using Typing Instructor and real-time typing race games helped too(He learned about the game from other AoPSers). He prefers typing to handwriting if possible, but there are still plenty of time that he needs to write on paper, and he's fine with that.

 

HTH

 

Thanks!! This helps :)

[regentrude]

I am amazed at how much I have to explicitly teach... like when he's using a notebook page and runs out of room, he doesn't just flip the notebook over (thus doing the back of the page *before* the one he started on). He needs to actually turn the page and write on the back side of the page he started on.

 

Actually, what he is doing is a very smart thing if it's something like finishing a math problem! If you turn the page, you have to be careful when you copy the problem over to the back side, and it is very easy to mis-copy. When you continue working on the back of the previous page, you can open the notebook and copy from right side to left without turning; this eliminates mistakes.

 

When my colleagues or I give tests at college, the test pages are printed on one side and have a blank back. The students are explicitly instructed to finish on the back of the previous page if they should run out of room.

[kiwik]

Not any help to you, but my ds5.5 has been taught to put one diagonal line through mistakes and carry on since his first day at school (B&M) Hopefully he won't have problems like this later:-). I don't think the classrooms have rubbers (erasers) etc.

 

For page identification, I found doing the 1/6 etc helpful but maybe that happens automatically when you scan and email?.

[JumpyTheFrog]

I found that Pentel Hi-Polymer erasers (same material as the erasers on their mechanical pencils) work much better than rubber erasers. We just bought some last week and Tigger is doing a better job with his erasing.

[Heathermomster]

For my son it's worth it. His handwriting speed is decent, not super fast not slow either. But for AoPS courses, I felt handwritten solutions would add extra work load to the graders. That was why I let him submit typed solutions. (I think for the new format, everything has to be submitted online anyway.)

 

He started typing math at a fairly young age (a bit younger than your son), but has improved quite a lot over time. Learning LaTex was definitely helpful. His overall typing speed is quite good as well, for a kid. Posting on message boards, occasionally using Typing Instructor and real-time typing race games helped too(He learned about the game from other AoPSers). He prefers typing to handwriting if possible, but there are still plenty of time that he needs to write on paper, and he's fine with that.

 

HTH

 

 

How do you use LaTex? Is there software that requires a download? How did your child learn it?

[wapiti]

How do you use LaTex? Is there software that requires a download? How did your child learn it?

 

 

See these instructions at AoPS, which include links to free downloads. (I haven't tried this yet.)

[Heathermomster]

See these instructions at AoPS, which include links to free downloads. (I haven't tried this yet.)

 

 

Thank-you...Thank-you...Thank-you...

[Tattarrattat]

How do you use LaTex? Is there software that requires a download? How did your child learn it?

 

 

As wapiti linked, AoPS has lots of information, tutorials and links to LaTeX. It's convenient to have basic knowledge of LaTeX if one takes AoPS classes, or post on their message boards. I'm not sure if it's worth it if you are using their books on your own.

 

AoPS recommends some software to download(at the bottom of the page wapiti linked). I tried it myself a while ago, didn't feel it was very easy to use. DS actually doesn't use the software, he memorizes the markup coding he uses a lot (or refers to the reference page somewhere on their website if he doesn't remember) and just directly types them in the homework submission box, message box, and sometimes during class session. He mentioned even Word recognized it (I'm not sure how) when he types the code directly in the doc, instead of clicking through the buttons to find the right notation.

 

Again, it's useful for AoPS classes. If typed solution is not required, I'm not sure if it's worth the effort typing it out instead of handwriting on paper. I guess it's up to the child.

[regentrude]

As wapiti linked, AoPS has lots of information, tutorials and links to LaTeX. It's convenient to have basic knowledge of LaTeX if one takes AoPS classes, or post on their message boards. I'm not sure if it's worth it if you are using their books on your own.

...... If typed solution is not required, I'm not sure if it's worth the effort typing it out instead of handwriting on paper. I guess it's up to the child.

 

 

It will be a wonderful skill to have in high school when lab reports require typing equations. DD learned LaTex for this purpose. For a student going into STEM, LaTex will be extremely useful. It is so much better fro typing math (and thus also equations in chemistry and physics) than anything else I have seen.

[Tattarrattat]

 

It will be a wonderful skill to have in high school when lab reports require typing equations. DD learned LaTex for this purpose. For a student going into STEM, LaTex will be extremely useful. It is so much better fro typing math (and thus also equations in chemistry and physics) than anything else I have seen.

 

 

 

regentrude, Thank you for your insight! Really helpful!

[quark]

See these instructions at AoPS, which include links to free downloads. (I haven't tried this yet.)

 

There's some helpful information here too.

[Heathermomster]

I want to thank-you all for providing excellent feedback.

 

DS is gifted with dyscalculia and dysgraphia. In spite of this, the last few weeks have been amazing. Handwriting remains a problem. I am presently looking for options to substitute handwriting with the math.

 

DH just mentioned equation editor, which comes with Word for Windows. Outside of possibly equation editor and LaTex, can anyone think of other options? You folks rock!

[LucyStoner]

We purchased our son a tablet (nexus 7) so he can use it for writing assignments on the go and in outsourced writers workshop. He has a huge struggle with writing which seems to be nearly entirely alleviated with typing vs. handwriting. This also allows him to start using checklists to track assignments and use the calendar, all of which we can edit and see with our computer. It was a $200 investment but it has really helped. I don't let him have games and such on it at this point so that it gets used to aid school efforts rather than create a tool he can use to procrastinate.

[dharmacat]

I definitely second high-polymer erasers...nothing else compares!

 

I found that Pentel Hi-Polymer erasers (same material as the erasers on their mechanical pencils) work much better than rubber erasers. We just bought some last week and Tigger is doing a better job with his erasing.