Visual math parents, non-visual math kid

[Ruth in Canada]

I realized, as my husband struggled to explain a math concept to dd, that part of the problem is that both of us have good "visual" math skills while dd appears not to. I could "see" the process dh was explaining. I think dd would have understood better had the explanation been better suited to her non-visual learning style.

 

Can anyone help me figure out how to better help dd with math explanations? She's just about to finish Foerster's Alg II and Trig (the algebra II part--we'll use his pre-calculus book for the trig part). She does comparatively well, I think, but doesn't like math and is not very confident. If I thought she wasn't capable, I might not push the issue. But--she's bright and does many things well (such as music, music theory, writing, memorizing stuff, languages).

[threetreasurs]

Perhaps just focusing on the process? Non-visual students often do well with a just the explanation of how to solve the problem without the complication of pictures etc.

[periwinkle]

I am very non-visual, and Lial's algebra books are my favorites...crystal clear explanations and examples!

[Ruth in Canada]

I'll keep that in mind--maybe I can get one through ILL to compare it to what she's currently got.

[Ruth in Canada]

When I explain a math process, I can "see" the equation transform as I go through that process. That's where my visual skills help. I don't think dd does this--so I'm wondering if I need to explain things differently. I suppose I could write down what I "see".