Math Issues...Change? Stay the course?

[FlyingMOm]

I originally posted this on the general ed board but was advised to post it here:

 

Child is in 2nd grade, strong reader, very very smart but under-performs and is often contrary. Very social. Says that he "hates math" but yet often plays math during the day. Started with Horizons in Kindergarten but switched to Horizons when older child did- lots & lots of tears over Horizon- it's "too long". Switched to Right Start when I made the change for older daughter. He hated, hated, hated it, lots more tears, stalling, etc. So this year we moved him to Math U See. Same story. Hates MUS. He'll often spend 60-90 minutes completing ONE page of Math U See Beta- about 12-15 problems. It is utterly ridiculous. This is the same kid who, at age 4 & with no formal math training, would say things like this "Mom, do you know that 3+2 equals 4+1 and that they both are 5?" He will make his own math books on occasion, will tell you he "hates science" but yet plays science- chemistry sets, snap circuits, etc. all day & tells me he loves chemistry & physics. Ability is not the issue yet he under-performs.

 

Question: Essentially the same question as above- stick with Math U See? Every day is a math battle & it is awful for me. Am also considering switching him to CLE's math but am willing to consider anything else that is offered...

[kiwik]

Does he get the problems he takes so long to do correct? If he is good at maths maybe he needs less repetition.

[kiana]

Honestly, he sounds mathematically talented, bored and frustrated.

 

I would look into cutting down the problems by at least half and telling him that if he gets all of the ones you DID give him correct, he doesn't have to do the other half. Kids who can think like he did at 4 often find the amount of repetition in curricula extraordinarily frustrating.

 

I'd also look into getting Beast Academy after Beta. Unless he HATES the comic format, I think it'd be a much better fit for a talented child.

[Five More Minutes]

One possibility is that, as the pps pointed out, your son may be working at a higher level than the material he is dealing with, which is contributing to his frustration and "contrariness." He may simply not need to do all of the questions on a worksheet to understand the concept, and so is looking at a page of what is essentially busywork. Have you had an opportunity to informally test his math level in other ways?

 

Another possibility might be that the curriculum isn't a good fit. If he's very bright, a program like Beast Academy might be just the thing. Singapore Primary Mathematics is another program that often seems to be recommended for kids who are strong in math.

 

You may also want to look at Hoagies. The website itself isn't appealing, but some of the descriptions of gifted children and their emotions or attitudes helped me better understand my child. I haven't gone the route of formally testing for giftedness; it has been enough for me to know that children thinking at her level can have emotional or behavioural challenges as well.

[EKS]

I'd move him to Singapore or Beast Academy. If you move him to Singapore, I'd start with 2A and run through it until you get to something he doesn't know. By run through it, I mean sit there with him and a small whiteboard, have him try the hardest problem from the textbook from each section (that you've copied to the whiteboard or have him do it mentally), and see how easy it is for him. If it's easy, move to the next section.

 

The only problem with Beast Academy is that the series isn't complete and you might run through the existing books and have nothing to move on to.

 

Also, when I had issues like this, I tried to analyze exactly what the problem was. Does he not like doing 20 problems of the same type? Does he hate writing in workbooks? Does he hate writing in general? Does he hate rote computation? Has he ever been cooperative about math? What is different about those times? Once you have a handle on exactly what the problem is (rather than just math in general), you can make a reasoned decision about how to move forward.

[texasmama]

Singapore would likely be a good fit for a child like this. It does not belabor either the teaching or the exercises but gets to the point. It makes some leaps which my kids have easily followed, which is nice for kids with a strength in math because it keeps them challenged and interested.

[briansmama]

Since he's strong in math, can you take a break and bring in some fun math? My ds shuts down when he sees a full page of repetitive problems. I've been tweaking every math curriculum we've ever purchased so much that at this point I wonder if we even need one (I will continue to buy Math Mammoth for the scope and sequence though). I found that I select a few of the most difficult problems and put them on the board my ds is much more cooperative. He doesn't appreciate all of the repetition once he's mastered a concept (usually quickly). We also use beanbags for daily math facts drill. During math lesson time, we've been using living math books to intro new concepts (they have some great ones at our library on sports math, career math, etc). My ds lives for football and plays baseball so those books have been a great way to intro new concepts. Once he masters them, we practice with a few select problems on the board and beanbags for drill :)

[MBG]

Do you see mastery of addition and subtraction?

The work can be done outside, on side walk chalk, on white board, with blocks. If he can teach someone else the concept he has mastery.

Is the problem writing? sitting? Have him make a math worksheet for you to take-- then he checks your work. Or, have him make up a word problem.

 

He may be ready for Gamma or Delta. Did you give the placement test?