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Order and pacing of math instruction


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I have a nine-year-old with dyspraxia and dyscalculia. We have begun working on multiplication facts using Multiplication Facts That Stick, and it's been very effective. I've realized as we've progressed that he could really use review in addition and subtraction, as well. I'd like to use Addition Facts That Stick and Subtraction Facts That Stick concurrent with the multiplication book. Has anyone done that? If so, do you have any advice about pacing? I would also be interested in hearing whether anyone would advise against doing all of that at the same time. We've just begun homeschooling this year, and I've identified a lot of gaps in basic math facts, so I'm trying to figure out that best (and least frustrating for him) way to help him progress. Thanks in advance for any guidance and advice you can give!

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Are you doing something for math besides drilling the facts?  The reason I ask is that it's important that kids understand the conceptual underpinnings of the basic operations so that it isn't just remembering a bunch of disconnected numbers.

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3 hours ago, HedyLombard said:

I would also be interested in hearing whether anyone would advise against doing all of that at the same time.

You can just try it and see.

Just based on what I've seen in our house, I think dopamine levels (ie. whether the ADHD is medicated) make more of a difference than what method you use. You can use methods all you want but dopamine is necessary to make the connections that get it from short term to long term memory. So someone with an SLD and higher dopamine will memorize facts more readily than someone with untreated ADHD and no SLD. 

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On 3/18/2021 at 3:23 PM, EKS said:

Are you doing something for math besides drilling the facts?  The reason I ask is that it's important that kids understand the conceptual underpinnings of the basic operations so that it isn't just remembering a bunch of disconnected numbers.

If she's using the Facts that Stick series, they come with lessons between drilling the facts.   So long as she's doing those, it should get to the underpinnings fine, though for multiplication they suggest doing more beforehand to prep.  I did baggies full of the same amount of M&Ms and a grid of tiles to overview the concept before starting that. 

But the Addition and Subtraction ones I don't think you would need anything extra for.   The lessons really do a great job of helping kids conceptualize.  The games make the rote practice fun, but the conceptual lessons are really powerful too.

 

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On 3/18/2021 at 2:45 PM, HedyLombard said:

I have a nine-year-old with dyspraxia and dyscalculia. We have begun working on multiplication facts using Multiplication Facts That Stick, and it's been very effective. I've realized as we've progressed that he could really use review in addition and subtraction, as well. I'd like to use Addition Facts That Stick and Subtraction Facts That Stick concurrent with the multiplication book. Has anyone done that? If so, do you have any advice about pacing? I would also be interested in hearing whether anyone would advise against doing all of that at the same time. We've just begun homeschooling this year, and I've identified a lot of gaps in basic math facts, so I'm trying to figure out that best (and least frustrating for him) way to help him progress. Thanks in advance for any guidance and advice you can give!

 
I have done addition and subtraction sort of at the same time (with a gifted child I was tutoring who had skipped Kindergarten).  It was not an everyday situation though, and so I was trying to pack in extra into the time we had.   I would do an addition lesson on one day, and then the game, and would continue that game for another sessions before I switched to the subtraction lesson...then we would do a game for both addition and subtraction together until I felt like she was strong on either and I would move on when she was ready.   So basically, I never did more than one lesson in a day, but we did overlap gameplay for practice. 


 

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