debbiec Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 It's a bit of an investment and I can't find anyone who sells it or uses it locally, so I'm looking for some insight, pros and cons ~ I'm wanting to use this possibly for one my son who needs a lot of remedial work and help in math. Math is VERY hard for him (learning delays). Just wondering what you thought about the program. (And yes, I've been over at the special needs boards for help as well). Was it parent/teacher friendly? Did your child like it and find it easy to use? Did your child LEARN form using the program? Was there enough practice with the concepts? TIA, Debbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 My older one used B-C-D and half of E. My younger one used B for basically PK - 1st grade. They both have an extremely solid foundation in math, and I have no regrets about it. I switched my older to one to CLE over a year ago because it just wasn't meeting his needs any more, and my younger one is using CLE this year because I needed a more self-teaching curriculum because of my work schedule and DH's increasing medical needs. Otherwise frankly I would have stayed with RS all the way with my younger one. For us that was the only real disadvantage -- it is mom-intense, especially the first year. It terms of content though, it's a superb program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Lynx Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 It's a bit of an investment and I can't find anyone who sells it or uses it locally, so I'm looking for some insight, pros and cons ~ I'm wanting to use this possibly for one my son who needs a lot of remedial work and help in math. Math is VERY hard for him (learning delays). Just wondering what you thought about the program. (And yes, I've been over at the special needs boards for help as well). Was it parent/teacher friendly? Did your child like it and find it easy to use? Did your child LEARN form using the program? Was there enough practice with the concepts? TIA, Debbie Especially in the early years, RS is teacher-intense. I found that to decrease in the upper levels. There is an online support group, plus they welcome calls from parents who are having difficulty - I call that parent/teacher friendsly :) YES, my children learn from this program. Sometimes there is not enough practice with concepts. You can fix this if you play the games. Unless my student is struggling with the concept, I take the lazy route - skip the games, and do some independent drill, or some Singapore. My current 7 yo struggles, so we play the darn games. :) It has been well worth the money, for us. Very often, when people dislike the program, they dislike the teacher-intensiveness of it and the fact that it is scripted (I ignore the script). They also dislike the time it takes, in the early years, for manipulative set-up; again, that decreases later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 The most important thing is placement. I would call the 1-800 number for RS and talk with them to figure out exactly where your dc should start. Have you been to the RS yahoo group? There are a number of people who've posted there with special needs kids, if you were to search the archives. Also, check the schedule for RS, because they'll be at most of your major conventions. That way you could see the materials in person and go to the workshops where they explain how it works and why. The powerpoint presentations they use in the workshops are also on the RS website, if you do some searching. They have more articles on how they approach math and why, so you can make an informed decision. My dd is not special needs, so I can't really say how well anything will work for your kids. The post in the RS yahoo group archives on autism and why that mom chose RS was very interesting though. She identified a lot of issues that are especially important to special needs kids (color, way it's taught, etc.), so you might try to find that post. Once you place properly, it's just a matter of taking your time to pace it to him. The way RS teaches things is amazingly clear. It's very easy to prep--just read and pull your manips for the day. I kept in a dishpan the ones I would need for that lesson, which worked out very well for us. And remember, if you need more practice than what RS provides with the games and worksheets, then you could easily print off more worksheets using free online generators. BTW, I wouldn't call RS parent-intensive, but rather parent-driven. There is no student text, just a tm and the student workbook of worksheets. It's intended that you do the lesson with them, talk with them, interact with them, get them to think and understand the material. I guess this is a level of interaction you expect with a special needs child. Remember too, you can break the lessons up as needed. If he needs two or three days or a week on a lesson, you just make a mark and come back, no problem. I find the RS tm's very clear to teach from, unlike very wordy, fine-print tm's for some curricula. I really liked the way Dr. Cotter explains topics and found it was usually much better than when I would try to explain things myself. So I'd think through placement, maybe calling and talking with them. I'd also consider how he learns best and make sure the way RS works will be a good fit and play to his strengths, not his weaknesses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Alfred Academy Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Have you been to the RS yahoo group? OhElizabeth, I have tried searching for this group and can not locate it. I have searched under "RS math" "right start math" and "right start". Do you know the actual name of the group or have any suggestions as to what I should search under? Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt_Uhura Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Here is a link to the forums page at RightStart. The RS forum is there as well as the Yahoogroup. http://www.alabacus.com/pageView.cfm?pageID=263 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Alfred Academy Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Thank so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debbiec Posted February 4, 2008 Author Share Posted February 4, 2008 Thanks everyone, I'll look to the Yahoo Group for more help~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 BTW, I wouldn't call RS parent-intensive, but rather parent-driven.This was the deal breaker for us. While I thought is was an excellent curriculum, it DD just bristled at its teacher-led nature. With Singapore she feels more in control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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