How much do you prep for math (and other STEM topics) if you are not inclined that way...

[madteaparty]

I am starting HS in the fall. I've always afterschooled, and always done lip service to the fact that the 9 yr old's education was my ultimate responsibility and school was free childcare, but i am now (i) fully realising how big of a responsibility it is, and (ii) facing my own inadequacies in the STEM subjects, and perhaps developing a bit of a complex already.

 

I have a degree from a top 10 law school but certain Singapore Math 4 Intensive problems make me inclined to return said degree if such a thing was possible.

 

In any event, here we are. Practically speaking, if you are not a math PhD yourself, is it possible to raise a math literate child? He is not naturally inclined in this area, but is not delayed either. My DH is better at it and uses it in his line of work, but i am done outsourcing. In any event, I think I want DS to be better than both of us. Can it be done? how much prep on myself, if so? i am taking my time with 4B which

is where we are now, and ordered the mess of books from home instructor's guide, to everything else.

[Hunter]

#1 remember that homeschooling is a marathon, not a sprint. Set a pace that YOU can run without getting a stitch in your side, or worse yet, makes you have to give up.

 

Your best STOPS when the pain starts. Pain signals self-neglect and all forms of self-neglect are wrong.

 

Set a comfortable pace of teaching and self-education for yourself, and learning for your son, and then run YOUR race.

[MerryAtHope]

It will depend on what you are using.

 

Have you done previous levels of Singapore? If I recall correctly, Level 3 is when the rod diagrams are first introduced, and you might find it easier to start there if you haven't already done that level. I would expect to spend some time each week (maybe an hour or so) working on understanding how to teach this program, though the manuals they have out now may help (back when I tried it, the TM's weren't there yet). I find the rod diagrams fascinating, and used to follow discussions asking questions about them as a fun challenge when my kids were younger. Now I don't have as much time.

 

There are programs that have all the teaching done for you, or where it's easy to follow along in a Teacher's Manual to see how to do the problems. If you need a less intensive option, you could choose a more "open and go" type of program, and save the more intensive things like Singapore word problems for summer math when you don't have other subjects going at the same time. Do what works for you and your family and don't burn out on this one subject. We really like Math-U-See here and the teaching is clear and easy to follow. And if my kids do something wrong in algebra or geometry, I can see not just the answers, but how to work the problem, in the answer key. VERY helpful!

 

As for other STEM topics--my 16 yo son did robotics engineering this year and I wish I could have outsourced! (Many areas do have opportunities.) NOT my field! He was self-motivated and figured out a lot of things on his own, but there were times he got stuck, and I probably spent an hour a week, sometimes two, when that happened. Someone knowledgable in the field wouldn't have spent that much time, I'm sure.

 

Merry :-)

[NASDAQ]

Yes, totally possible.

 

I do a lot of math prep because of where we are right now (teaching gr 3 math for the first time, k math for the second time, tutoring algebra 2). But you don't have to. Get a good reference and address topics as they come up. In fourth, the big hurdle is usually fractions. H. Wu out of UC Berkeley has an essay, Teaching Fractions According to the Common Core. This essay alone will move you way ahead.

 

Be fearless.

[madteaparty]

I have done all Singapore math in sequence as an afterschooling and summerschooling exercise. I did not teach the rods very well (I do not think that way, so I messed that up) and that is why we are lingering in 4.

[madteaparty]

Be fearless.

 

Thank you. Thank you. I will have to revisit this directive often. There's other changes to our lives coming so as to make the homeschooling easier so I needed to be told that.

 

Fractions is one thing is he is quite good at without my help. I will give that public school that one (but only that one :))

[GSOchristie]

I was a math teacher and I still spend quite a bit of time preparing for math, at least an hour a week and I just have a kindergartener. I just don't think like Singapore, so I really have to read the HIG thoroughly to teach it. It takes him much less time to understand it because this is the first and only way it's ever been taught to him :). I am always amazed when he immediately catches on to the way they want him to do it. I recently read the book Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics by Lipping Ma (I think), I was definitely one of the math teachers she talked about who knows all the right procedures but has never really thought about the conceptual elements.

[I.Dup.]

Well I'm just glad to know someone else has a hard time teaching and understanding Singapore, esp. someone with a degree from a top 10 school! ;) Past about grade 2, I just CANNOT figure out how to explain the concepts in a meaningful way. We are switching my 3rd grader to CLE for 3rd grade because of this.

[Dana]

I have done all Singapore math in sequence as an afterschooling and summerschooling exercise. I did not teach the rods very well (I do not think that way, so I messed that up) and that is why we are lingering in 4.

 

 

I used iExcel (being replaced by Process Skills books) for the bar diagrams.

I teach math at the cc and have a master's degree. I have looked online for explanations of using the bar models for some of the problems in 4 and 5 :)

 

The bar model is really cool and very powerful. It's also extremely strange if you haven't used it before.

 

I do work the CWP problems and IP word problems along with my son (or ideally before him). It's been neat to see him solve problems in a different way at times.

 

I would strongly recommend the Process SKills books - probably backing up to 3. Working them before CWP or IP will be helpful too.

[madteaparty]

Yes, Process Skills books are part of my recent book binge!

[FairProspects]

 

I used iExcel (being replaced by Process Skills books) for the bar diagrams.

I teach math at the cc and have a master's degree. I have looked online for explanations of using the bar models for some of the problems in 4 and 5 :)

 

 

Are these word problems or something else? The word problems from the CWP are just too wordy for my dyslexic, but if these are a different way to use bar diagrams they might be helpful.

[Dana]

 

 

Are these word problems or something else? The word problems from the CWP are just too wordy for my dyslexic, but if these are a different way to use bar diagrams they might be helpful.

 

 

The iExcel books have a section that's approaches to problems (make a list, draw picture, etc). They'll have one example, then 4-5 problems for the student to do. Then they'll have some topics from the text...one example, then 4-5 problems of the same type. It doesn't have all the problem types, so CWP is still really good to have, but it will help with CWP because you've seen some of the approaches explained with the models a bit better before you do CWP.

[Bree]

I am strong in math and could teach algebra, geometry, etc... all day but SM really teaches differently than we were taught in most American schools so one thing I have found is sometimes you learn along with your dc how to do things and at times I just teach concepts a little differently than the HIG suggests ;)