Math- to change or not to change?

[lifesadream83]

Preamble:

 

I hate curriculum hoping.  I do hop until I find what I love and then I stick it out.  However, age and family circumstances are making me reevaluate some decisions.  

 

Math is the topic of this post though.  

 

We have been using Math In Focus since book 1b.  We are now in book 4a.  It's Singapore Math basically.  Mastery based.  I had been feeling she needed something more spiral as concepts have been slipping her mind.  However, I love Math In Focus its so hard to walk away.  
 

I placement tested her for Saxon Math today.  She placed into Math 7/6.  Having her place that high makes me second guess myself even more because clearly what we are doing is working.  However, it has become hard to get her to do lessons lately.  

 

 

I sat her down and told her what her scores were and where she placed and explained that regardless of the number on the book she is doing well.  She opted to stay with Math In Focus because of how high it helped her place in another curriculum and even reasoned that the other may not have as high of standards.  

 

I am going to consult with hubby when he wakes up (he is on a mids schedule) and get his input but I have the ultimate choice and I am now torn even more so than before.  

 

So......

 

What would you do?

[Garga]

I don't have the final answer so don't base your decision on my one post.  Here's an observation I've made with my kids this school year:

 

When my kids hate doing something we're using that is otherwise doing a good job of teaching them, I ask them specifically what they hate about it.  Sometimes it's something simple that I can change.  For example, my son hates his science curric.  He's in 7th grade and I'm doing Mr. Q's high school level chemistry with him.  There are a lot of calculations for him to do.  I discovered that he likes the curric except for all the calculations. Since he's only in 7th grade, I decided to sit next to him and work out at least half of his calculation exercises with him before sending him off the finish the rest alone.  All of a sudden, he doesn't mind his science curric.  I don't feel bad that I don't make him do all the calculations because we'll be doing chemistry again in a couple of years when he's actually in high school.  

 

Maybe there's something your dd doesn't like about the curric that you could change up for her and everything would be fine.

 

The only thing I would worry about is how you said she's forgetting a few concepts.  Is it really a lot, or just a few here and there?  

[marynamo]

My kids use to do a spiral program but could not keep up as there were so many things introduced in one year and no proper reviews or concrete foundations in one subject area. So after long throught we eventually went over to Math U See.

 

We love MUS. The foundations in everything is solid and the kids enjoy doing Math. There are loads of review for previous work/books.

 

I personally would not go back to a spiral program as what we doing now is working for us, the proof is in their joy of doing Math and it being their favourite subject but also the test scores are fantastic. ;)

 

If the Math program is working for her and you see the results, stick with it!

[LinRTX]

I'm not saying to change, but to give you some perspective. I used Saxon from the beginning for 2 of my children. They were both in the 76 books at 10. The numbers on the front can be misleading.

 

I also tried a mastery, not spiral for my youngest one year and it was a disaster. She forgot everything.

 

Only you know your child and what works best. Perhaps you could start each day with a mixed review of 5 problems that you give her. It would build in the review while she continues working in a program she knows.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I used MIF 1a through 3b and then I bought 4a and I thought 4a was lousy.  I had been very happy with MIF up until that point.  I ended up getting PM Standards and I like that better.  There is a lot more review in it.  Some of the review I break up and include little by little while moving forward. 

 

Although I am considering making a change to Saxon because I'd like to use the upper level books anyway. 

 

That's probably not particularly helpful, but just wanted to say I'm kinda in the same boat.  I plan to finish 4a at least in SM.  But after that I don't know. 

[sweetpea3829]

If you really want to stick with Singapore, but are finding not enough review, you can make incorporate review quite easily.  For my oldest son, I assign him the WB pages that correspond with what we're working on, but if he doesn't need to complete ALL of the workbook pages for that topic, I put those few pages aside.  

 

Then, I use the Singapore Testbook as well as the IP book and, each day, I pull something random from those books that he's already covered.  So every day, he has an assignment from what we're currently working on, then he also has an assignment that is review.  

 

Singapore puts out enough supportive materials that you can easily use one of them for review on an as needed basis.  

[lifesadream83]

Thank you everyone.  We decided to stick it out with Math in Focus.  :)

[SilverMoon]

For what it's worth, one of my DDs randomly starts slugging through math and saying she doesn't like it. Normally she loves math and is working a grade ahead in Horizons. Her bouts have been related to her being unsure of her skills being enough for the task. A bit of extra drill practice or adding manipulatives and extra conversation to particular concepts usually puts an end to it. *shrug*