Forgetting major parts of math? (VSL learner)

[BlueTaelon]

dd13 has been struggling with pre-algebra, we ended up skipping 1st semester and going to 2nd which is much much easier for her figuring we would go back to the harder stuff later when we were not in a time crunch for percentages/progress. I ended up asking the charter school if we could just drop it and switch to dual enrollment and I would buy our own program because it was the start of a new semester and she just wasn't getting the math the way it was presented. They offered her Excel math instead. I had her take the placement test and I am banging my head. This child was not able to do any multi-digit multiplication, division or fractions.

 

She got 20/30 for 4th grade (is that even passing?!), 9/27 for 5th grade and on both its the above that killed her score. She KNEW this stuff inside and out and mastered it 100% back in 3rd-4th grade. She didn't even try the 6th grade portion because it was all word problems:(

 

Where do I go from here? I will call out teacher tomorrow but I'm at a loss. She grasps harder stuff easy but this is basic math! So, suggestions? She's an extreme visual learner and was just dx'd with high functioning autism, waiting to get the test results to find out exactly whats going on. We used TT 4-7 when covering this stuff and the charter teacher we had at the time confirmed independently dd knew the material before we moved on.

[mathmarm]

If she does well with algebraic thinking and enjoys the properties of real numbers then I would cover her weaker skills in a way that drew parallels more explicitly for her. You can buy workbooks that focus only on one or two topics. Get some and do a bit each day along with whatever else you need to do.

Review multiplication in a way that its explicit that you are doing distribution. (32 * 17 = [30 + 2] * [10 + 7] = [30*10 + 30*7 + 2*10 + 2*7] = (300 + 210 + 20 +14) = 544. Doing different problems with fractions each day--even on the weekend--can really make the difference for a lot of students--no matter the age.

Mixed numbers are a parallel to regrouping with powers of 10. (think in expanded for 10+3 = 13 well 7/4 = 4/4 + 3/4 which is 1 + 3/4

Common denominators are 'like terms'.

 

There are many things that if you don't use you lose. Math skills are among them. If its been a long time, then its been a long time. There are parts of math that I don't remember off the top of my head and I have advanced degrees in the field. My secret has always been a willingness to work on maintenance of a skill/topic.

I still work 1 or 2 problems from a variety of fields from time to time simply to keep it in its place.

 

Could you try re-teaching and reviewing in depth those topics and then just doing review/upkeep on them for as long as it takes. 2 of each kind of problem a day for the rest of middle/high-school? It is possible to forget things. Just review more.

 

[kiana]

I really like mathmarm's advice. I would emphasize the use of the distributive property for multiplication and things like that because that IS algebra, and teaching it that way may help her remember how to do it.

 

I would forget any algorithm that was just presented as an algorithm, but when multiplication was presented that way I found myself able to understand it and remember how to do it.

[OneStepAtATime]

I think mathmarm and kiana have some good suggestions.  

 

You might also consider working with her on practicing math facts through some math games (not computer games but card, dice and board games).  See if you can locate Soror's relaxed math post here on the Gen Ed board.  A lot of great resources there for helping to solidify math concepts and ignite a stronger interest and understanding of math.

 

Hands On Equations might also really help since she is VSL...

[kbutton]

My Aspie does much better learning concepts than algorithms. He's sort of VSL--he's definitely a pattern and big picture thinker who makes conceptual leaps (but then wants the step-by-step details filled in afterwards for him). If he has the concept, he can often come up with the algorithm again later (but we often have to talk it out). In fact, he figured out how to go from multiplying 342 x 3 to 342 x 342 on his own by talking it out. Letting him do that made it stick. If he was forgetting things, I think he would do well with an approach like mathmarm suggested and then going through why the algorithms work. My son learns to mastery, but he does have to revisit stuff, or it's gone.

 

On a side note, with the HFA, you might need to keep things low key to avoid triggering anxiety. My son is very math-able, but it's the subject most likely to trigger anxiety, avoidance, etc. We had to really build his confidence. It didn't happen by keeping things easy, but keeping the stakes low, trying to install a sense of humor, working alongside and scribing, etc. all helped. Using manipulatives has helped, even though he thinks of them as being baby-ish. He's finally embraced them, and he really needs them only for brief periods of time to visualize something.

 

Best wishes!

[dbmamaz]

fwiw, my multi-issue teen just really struggled with math retention over the long term.  Every time something came up again, we'd have to go over it again.  Even today, he's 17, and sometimes he forgets that 2/(2+x) does not simplify to 1/x.  I HAVE seen improvement over time, but I help a LOT when he gets stuck . . . review and review and review on the fly. 

 

Our first year of homeschooling, I tried 4 different algebra programs because his pre-algebra teacher had suggested it, and nothing worked.  I finally started over with the upper level Singapore, and realized he had almost NO idea how to do fractions.  But he has definitely improved.  I definitely make him do math EVERY DAY even over the summer - we take quarterly 2-week breaks

[prairiewindmomma]

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