Sanity check - Lack of focus

[skimomma]

My 11 yo dd is bright and generally a pleasure to be around.  We are starting to see a little "tweenish" behavior but nothing serious yet.

 

Starting at the end of last year (5th grade), I started to notice an increase in times when she was unable to focus.  Especially in math but also in other subjects from time to time.  The lack of focus results in day dreaming, time-wasting, and then many simple mistakes.  On bad days, she can get half (or more) of her math assignment incorrect.  And that is after spending more than twice the time I expect the assignment to take.  The mistakes are almost never conceptual.  They are almost always simple arithmetic errors, not reading the instructions/problem carefully, or messiness that results is errors.  She is always required to fix all of her mistakes so there is no incentive to rush.

 

This is a bit maddening to me which I suspect contributes to the problem.  Our schedule is tight (I work outside of the home part-time and have a fixed schedule) and when she gets into these foot-dragging modes, we are not able to cover what needs to be done.  

 

I know this is not an uncommon problem, especially at her age.  But, the issue has gotten more severe as time has gone on and we are now at a point where math is causing daily drama and tears.  We have tried using different materials and methods, but it is not the presentation that is the problem.  It is doing the work in whatever form it happens to be in.  She simply balks at anything perceived as an independent math problem.  If I am sitting right there while she works through each problem, she is fine and efficient.  She seems to need constant feedback to stay on task. She does not need me to do the work, give her hints, or write things down....she just seems to need her brain dialog to be received and validated by someone to stay focussed.  It happens in other subjects but to a much less frequent and more manageable degree.

 

I do not feel the math concepts are too hard for her.  If anything, I suspect she is naturally good at math.  I know that silly mistakes and lack of focus can be the result of boredom.  But I cannot shake the idea that she has to master the ability to catch her own mistakes and to learn to be careful and neat before attempting to accelerate her math progression.  Due to the focus issues last year, I decided to do Singapore 6A and 6B this year instead of moving on to pre-algebra like many do.  I thought a low-pressure year of mostly-review would give her space and time to learn to be more careful in her work.  I cannot tell right now if the issues we are having are the result of boredom or a true inability to focus.  She cannot seem to articulate if this is the case when asked either.  Because I see the same pattern in other subjects, I suspect this is not boredom-induced.

 

Which leads me to my plan.....

 

I am thinking of going back to being her dedicated sounding board through all math assignments (a la 1st grade).  This very long post is seeking the advice of people who may have gone this route.  I worry that she will feel it is a regression.  If you have done this, did you regret it?  Did it help?  How long did it take to work back to more independent work?  Is there such a thing as late-elementary-onset-scatter-brain that they just come out of on their own?

 

At the very least, I would love to hear of others that have experienced this and come out the other end using whatever path worked.  I have heard many a public school teacher say that 6th grade is a black hole so I am not surprised to be here.  But if she were in school, I fear she would be failing math.  

[texasmama]

This is about the time when the "careless mistakes" bug bit both of my boys.  Every kid's needs are different, and I have a 14 year old who still needs to sit at elbow and do math.  He does a problem, and I check the answer, etc.  My 12 year old is actually better at catching (or not making) careless errors so he is much more independent. 

 

I constantly reinforce the double checking of answers and paying close attention to the signs.  My 14 year old will quite often have the number correct but the sign incorrect.  I explain "why it matters" since he likes to say it does not matter.  "If the answer is negative 3.45 and you write positive 3.45, it is as incorrect as if you have written 1 trillion", I say, making a fabulous point.  At this age, it is often difficult to evaluate whether or not my sound advice is falling on deaf ears because so much teen pride is involved.  But yet I persevere.  :)

 

I sometimes think that if my son was in school he would be failing math, but I know that getting answers marked incorrect on homework due to careless errors would help to train him to do a better job checking faster than I am going to train him at home.  It is what it is.  :)

[MEmama]

Oh yes, it's the age. DS sometimes needs me to sit with him (but don't talk, and don't look at his work, and don't offer advice, and don't even make a peep...but don't walk away!) and check his answers on demand, but other times he banishes me to another room until he's finished. :). He's in a great math place, comfortably challenged and very happy...just kinda needy. I try my best to just roll with it.

 

And brain fog days? Ohhh yes we have those. He WANTS to do his work but some days he just.doesn't.have.it. I have no idea where his brain goes and sometimes it makes him really mad and frustrated because he wants to work hard, but just can't. I'm always trying new things to keep him productive on those days, but sometimes just snuggling on the couch and reading is all he can muster. It's days like those I'm extra grateful to be homeschooling. I can't begin to imagine the special hell that teaching middle school must be.

[MamaSprout]

I have a younger dd who is doing MM 6 this year for the same reason. I'm all ears.

[Critterfixer]

We do have brain-fog days, but the error rate is going down daily in math right now. It helps that they are doing math at the level they are at. 

But the error rate is going down I think due to three things. They have a huge incentive to get things right when it comes to fast math. That means they have got to look at that sign. It isn't much-just little incentive things like an exercise break or a treat--but that has caused them to pay attention.

Secondly, they are learning quick ways to check their work when they do their work. CLE is what we are using, at there is a focus on checking work in the skill-building section. I am teaching them to come to me when there is an error if they are frustrated, and instead of erasing, we go through the work to detect the error, and determine how it was made. This is helping reduce the number of times they make the same mistake.

The third thing is being responsible for checking their own work. They don't like to see more than three problems missed. It irritates them to no end. And it seems to inspire a desire to do better the next day. 

 

I suppose a final possible thing would be hearing me harp on reducing the error rate so that algebra isn't such a bear... :laugh: . They get to see me turn all kinds of purple when I make a sign error, copy a problem wrong, or goof a step.

[Lori D.]

DS with across the board concentration/distractibility issues and mild LDs in the math area here, so I feel your pain. He was about 12yo when he started to turn the corner in some areas; 14yo and 17yo were additional milestone years of moving forward/maturing. Sometimes we just need to be patient and stop trying to make our students mature on *our* timetable. That's the beauty of homeschooling -- being able to allow our students the ability to NOT have to fit a classroom model of development, but allowing them to bloom in their own timetable. :)

 

 

I am thinking of going back to being her dedicated sounding board through all math assignments (a la 1st grade).  This very long post is seeking the advice of people who may have gone this route.  I worry that she will feel it is a regression.  If you have done this, did you regret it?  Did it help?  How long did it take to work back to more independent work?

 

Sounds like a good plan! You've eliminated a lot of things that might be the problem, and you know what has worked in the past. Go for it! She just may need more time to mature in this area. The math IS getting harder now, and you are gone part of the day with work, so sitting with her would likely RELIEVE any unconscious stress or anxiety that is building up in her about ability to do the work. 

 

Some students really do need it longer than others, having you there to keep redirecting them. DS here needed me there up until age 14 or so, and even through high school, he did better if I would only step away briefly to throw in a load of laundry, put out the mail, etc. and come right back.

 

No, I don't regret doing this with him; it is what made getting through the math -- actually being able to LEARN the math -- possible for him. I see that as what my job as a homeschooler to be: facilitating learning, whatever form that might take.

 

Perhaps try sitting with your student, with you having something quiet to work on, and slowly over the the course of the next year, step away for a minute to do something else, come back; after a few times, step away for 2 minutes. Slowly work up to longer periods of student working solo, but the student also has the confidence that you'll be back.

 

 

In addition to Critterfixer's tips, consider some "biological" helps as well:

 

body

- start the day with aerobic exercise of some sort (20-30 min.) -- walking, jogging, jump-roping, dancing vigorous, 

- increase brain hemisphere connections (for better concentration) through 5 minutes of alternate marching (left arm swings forward high while right knee lifts high to step, then swing back/step down, and then right arm swings forward while left knee lifts high…)

 

food

- a protein snack mid-morning and mid-afternoon to "feed the brain"

- eliminate sugar, food dyes and processed foods (which can cause concentration problems)

- consider reducing/removing foods that may be triggering mild food intolerances, which can manifest as lack of concentration (corn, wheat, dairy)

 

concentration helps

- does your student focus better if moving/wiggling -- try doing the math while standing at the kitchen counter or while sitting on a yoga ball to allow movement

- does your student focus better with a "feelie" or "chewie" "fidget" -- if so, keep that handy!

- is your student highly distracted by sounds or visuals -- wear headphones with white sound or instrumental music to drown out sounds; for visuals, work in a streamlined, visually soothing spot without people around so that their movements distract

 

 

One last thing that really helped DS was to actually move the math (his area of biggest struggle) to the very LAST thing of the day. I know, I know, that's counter to all the popular wisdom. BUT… Some students DO run counter to popular wisdom. ;)

 

Perhaps try scheduling the math as the very last subject of the day may make the math go more quickly and smoothly, as DD knows she doesn't have to save any of her "brain battery power" for any more school to follow.

 

(Dianne Craft describes it as students having only a certain amount of battery power to use on school each day; if you do their struggle area first, you either use up all of their brain battery power for the day and they've got very little left for their other subjects, OR, they unconsciously realize they have to save some of that brain battery energy for the school subjects yet to come in the day, which means they hold back and can't give their "all" to the troublesome subject.)

 

Not suggesting this will work for everyone, BUT, it did make a dramatic improvement here for DS.

 

 

BEST of luck in finding the combination of helps that work best for DD and you! :) Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

[SebastianCat]

Yes, we noticed very similar tendancies when DS was 11.   He'll be 13 in a few months, and we still have those days, but have learned to recognize and manage them better.   When he struggles, I will have him take a break and go for a run, or we'll stop and get a snack.  It also helps to schedule more "mental" subjects, like math, earlier in the day, and save easier things for late morning or after lunch.

[Critterfixer]

Latin and Math are the subjects we do first in the morning, usually following breakfast, a hot cup of tea and some imaginative playing. If it is nice one boy likes to walk the driveway working on a story he is writing. So we do usually show up for those two subjects with our best frame of mind. Usually. 

Today, not so much. :glare:

I also have a snack with math. Since we have breakfast before eight, and math is usually around ten, we all want something about then.

[skimomma]

Thanks everyone.  I think more than anything I needed to know that this is not uncommon.

 

I do sit with dd for all math assignments (and other trouble subjects)....usually doing my own job on my laptop or bills or menu planning or whatever.  So I am always immediately available to answer questions.  It seems that I seem to catch her staring off into space frequently and have to remind her to get back on task.  Or she will (out of the blue) ask a question about shoelaces or bees or garbage trucks....indicating that her mind is far far away from math.  She is also allowed (and encouraged) to take a break any time she feels her concentration waning.  She can either take a 10 minute break for a snack or just to get some movement out of her system OR she can also opt to move to another subject altogether and come back to math.  

 

What she seems to need to stay 100% engaged is for me to not just sit there but to actually watch her every move with my 100% attention.  She seems to want/need constant feedback.  This is what I am considering trying just to stop the drama and help build her confidence up.  Right now, she thinks she is "bad at math" because she is getting so many assignment problems incorrect.  I can point out that her mistakes are almost always not-conceptual until I am blue in the face but all she sees is 50% WRONG.

 

Dd is on the late end of the blooming-curve so I suspect things will get worse before better so I want to minimize the damage.  

 

I too could never ever me a middle school teacher....especially MATH.

[maize]

We're right there with you! DD11 has gone from working very independently in math at ages 9 and 10 to needing me to sit with and actively engage throughout the lesson at age 11. I figure the brain fog will dissipate eventually :)

[FarmingMomma]

I am really relieved that I am not the only one in this boat :)  My 12 yo DD has really been struggling with this.  On days where her math is dragging out, I too find it helps a lot to just sit with her and make sure she stays on track.  Last year (5th grade), she could easily finish her math assignment in about 45 minutes, sometimes even a little less.  This year, it can easily drag out to 2 hours if she's dawdling and daydreaming, and she makes silly computation errors, which really frustrates her.  So if I notice that she's dawdling (ie: if it's been 20 minutes and she's only on problem 3) I sit with her and help her direct her attention back to her math.  Not every day is like this, today she's taking a test and breezing right through it.  I really do believe it is just the age.