My son can not problem solve to save his life!

[sierramv1]

My DS is 10 and as we start to get into more prealgebra he has no idea how to look at a problem, analyze the information given and put it

into a formula he can solve. He has never been good at the Critical thinking books, he really dislikes Singapore challenging word problems.

 

We have used RightStart Math through level E, this year we introduced LoF fractions (which he likes), we ran through the Key to Fractions

series (which teach no problem solving but help reinforce concepts) now we are using Math Mammoth 5 and he doesn't like that either.

 

This is most noticeable with math, but it really overflows to every single aspect of his life. When he comes across a problem that requires some

work, he just huffs and gives up. Maybe its more of a life attitude change? My other DS(6) is the exact opposite, not only does he not give up, he

HAS to figure it all out himself, which amazingly enough he usually does.

 

How do you teach this skill?

[Chris in VA]

Maybe break it down into steps? Saxon is good at that.

 

It could be he's hit a developmental wall and may not be ready for algebraic thinking.

[NotSoObvious]

Yep, I agree. He is still young. Just help him and model it like you would anything else. He'll get there.

[Rebel Yell]

It might just be a developmental thing. No matter how bright and eager, no matter how patient the teacher and excvellent the materials, sometimes the brain just isn;t ready for that yet.

 

Does he also have trouble with some of the abtract concepts in grammar? He might just need time.

[wapiti]

On the language side, I would work on reading comprehension, especially making inferences and practice visualizing. Sometimes this is the real source of the problem, as these skills are critical for word problems.

 

On the math side, I would continue to work on strategies (draw a picture, work backwards, etc.). I would not give up. Just keep plugging away with MM, quality over quantity (this is especially true with MM, where there are a lot of good problems to choose from - don't overwhelm him by assigning the whole page at one time). Work them together as buddy math (see letsplaymath's blog), on the white board one at a time. Sometimes the white board has magical qualities.

 

Continue to be patient with him. Consider the word problems to be a separate thing from the regular math for now. Your efforts in this area will be rewarded in the long run.

[dbmamaz]

I started homeschooling my 16 yo when he was in 8th grade. he could not do word problems. not at all. His pre-algebra teacher had told me to put him in algebra, and he could not understand it - not at all. This year - finally he seems to understand word problems. Finally he is starting to set alarms to remind himself of things of his own volition. finally he is starting to be able to remember things like 'close the cabinet doors after you put away the dishes' (one of his chores). He has a lot of 'issues' but its exciting to see him finally maturing in to things i really expected of him 6 years ago. dh keeps reminding me that one therapist said he will always be about 1/3 of his age, maturity wise. sigh.

[Cosmos]

Have you given him some explicit problem solving strategies? Things like -- try a simpler problem first, look for a pattern, draw a diagram, make a table, trial and error, etc. It takes practice to know what strategies will work for any given problem, but it helps a lot to have a "toolbox" to start with.

[lllll]

..

[sierramv1]

Thank you! I hadn't considered he may just not be ready developmentally. I was hoping to start AoPS next year, and maybe do Hands-On-Equations. Do you think I should wait?

 

 

 

He just doesn't seem to care to learn how to solve things when I try to give him strategies, like if he has to work at it, why bother. Maybe things up until now have been easy for him and

 

now he has to work at it a little. The skill of problem solving is a crucial life skill, more so for me than "getting" his math, and his entire attitude has kind of sent me for a loop.

 

He does have "chores" and is responsible for taking care of our six chickens (i.e. letting them out every morning, feeding them, cleaning their pen, and closing them in at night, he does this without much prodding), he

 

also takes care of the family dog, takes out the garbage and empties the dishwasher.

[kiwik]

Personally when faced with a word problem I find it helps to write a list of stuff I know: x = 2, etc. This prevents panicking about what I don't know. Also the words are largely fluff - try using a highlighter to indicate which bits of the question are relevant to solving it. Other than that maybe he needs an extra year to cement problem solving skills before he moves on.

[kalanamak]

I'd back down a level on the CWP in SM and really work on drawing models for each problem. We did two problems a day until kiddo got the hang of it.

 

I start out with: what do we know, what are we looking for, what do you think the relationship between the two is, what else to we need to figure out before we can solve the problem.