Exciting development in our math studies

[acurtis75]

I think we have finally arrived at the point where dd8 is enjoying math. I have always read dmmetler and others' posts about how their kids asked for extra math and figured we would never get there because dd claimed to hate math. This was sad for me because it was always my favorite subject and she is obviously gifted in her ability to grasp concepts.

 

After much reading here, accelerating A LOT and supplementing to make things more interesting (or at least tolerable) for dd we have reached the point where she did alcumus voluntarily for over an hour yesterday and asked if she could spend some more time on it today. She has also been working on some test prep books for Explore on her own and is suddenly seeing all these patterns and concepts in math she is excited about. She spent an hour the other day testing a theory about the affect on the area of a circle when you change the diameter after a similar question came up in a lesson.

 

I have to thank everyone for the advice I received here. I was hesitant to move as fast as we did and unnecessarily concerned about those dreaded "gaps" we hear about so much. I was making her spend way too much time on drill and practice that she didn't need. As we've moved to more and more difficult work she is making fewer mistakes because she's no longer bored.

[kiana]

This is wonderful news. If you have not already, I would recommend checking out Math for Smarty Pants. I loved, loved, loved that book from about ages 6-9 myself.

[Black-eyed Suzan]

Hooray! It's so encouraging to hear success stories - thanks for sharing!

If possible, I'd love to hear specifics about how you accelerated. I get nervous about gaps, too.

[acurtis75]

This is wonderful news. If you have not already, I would recommend checking out Math for Smarty Pants. I loved, loved, loved that book from about ages 6-9 myself.

We don't have that one so I'll have to check it out

[acurtis75]

Hooray! It's so encouraging to hear success stories - thanks for sharing!

 

If possible, I'd love to hear specifics about how you accelerated. I get nervous about gaps, too.

I tried to respond earlier but my iPhone wasn't cooperating :)

 

We use mathusee which is a mastery program and facilitated our desire to go quickly. We are in the middle of the pre-algebra book and we started about a month ago. For each chapter we watch the DVD, do one worksheet and then dd can choose to "test out" of the rest of the chapter by completing the test for that chapter. This usually means we do between 3 and 4 chapters a week. The test systematically review previously covered material so I can tell if she is forgetting something she already learned. So far that is rarely an issue. I assumed we would need to slow down a bit when we got to pre-algebra but so far she's moving just as quickly through it. We also use Beast Academy as a supplement and she reads life of Fred on her own. We used to use Singapore CWP as a supplement once a week but the new mus books have honors problems and she is now using that and alcumus instead.

[bakpak]

I'm sitting here feeling jealous that I was stuck in PS for my education. I sat and I waited and I never complained and I felt like an outsider and I thought that's how school was supposed to be. I'm always so encouraged when I read stories like this, where the child is respected and her/his interests are nurtured and they can learn as much and go as deep/quickly as they want! What a brilliant idea!!! :) I hope your kids understand, at some point, how lucky they are to have such cool parents. Kudos to all of you for listening to your children and encouraging them to love learning. :001_wub: