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Math curriculum for procedurally strong, conceptually weak students who've previously been "taught" using Khan Academy


Malam
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Hi all! I am looking for some advice on behalf of my partner's family.

So for some background, there are two siblings (B and C, 10 and 13 respectively), who are currently homeschooled and are now having trouble with their math skills. I am a math teacher at a public school, so they are asking me for help now that I am off for summer break. Everyone here is in Texas in case that changes anyone's advice.

They are currently using Khan Academy as their main "curriculum" for math. The kids are struggling now as Dad has no time to help them, and Mom is out of her depth in the level and processes used with the program. Looking around at the site, Khan is built to be a homework/practicing supplement to a full curriculum, so I am not surprised that the kids are struggling to learn new material when they are just bombarded with doing problem set after problem set with no real outside support. The videos are difficult for them to understand at times, and even when they're clear, the kids seem to struggle to retain the knowledge and apply it to other problems than the ones in the video.

I wanted to see if there are any suggestions for a homeschool curriculum that I could present to the parents because they are asking my opinion on how to help. They are considering a local co-op, but with $$$ issues it's not looking like it will be an ideal situation. I don't think that them solely using Khan Academy at this point is a wise choice as the kids need some interaction and help with a person and not just videos and practice problems. I personally think that getting them into a classroom with peers and a teacher would help, however I respect their decision to keep their children out of the system and will not be putting forth that idea.

Someone asked for help on the homeschooling subreddit; you can find the post here

There's another comment chain here

Am I weird for thinking about non-remedial curricula like Singapore Math or even Beast Academy? My reasoning is that remedial/"easy" programs are likely to focus more on tbe procedural side of things, which is the exact opposite of what they need. One option might be MUS, but that would need multiple years' worth of curricula.

Another theory is that the specificity comes from a lack of confidence applying the "recipe" to different kinds of numbers. Since the student only learned the procedure using whole numbers, there's no reason to believe it should generalize. If this is the case, then it's a simple matter of walking them through the same procedures with different classes of numbers.

What does the hive think or recommend?

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MUS has AIM, which is a catch up curriculum.  There's also the original, Mortensen, which goes in strands like Miquon where kids can bounce around through material.

I don't think it would do a kid a disservice to go through MUS, but I think with the parents' lack of time and mathematics, it might be better for the kids to go through Math Mammoth instead.

If these were kids I was working with, though, I would consider either MM or MEP before MUS.  MUS requires a heftier investment.  MEP is free, and I'd stick both kids back in year 3 to solidify concepts.  There's a solid teacher's guide.  Math Mammoth would be my choice for kids who need a lot more repetition.  I don't always like how it presents material, but it is thorough.  Either one would be fine, but I'd make the requirement from MUS be a priority in each lesson, which means investing in base ten or c-rods.  The requirements are:

Say it

Do it

Write it

Teach it

The kid would need to be able to have a verbal lesson, do it with blocks, write out the math, and then teach it back when they understand the concepts. 

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On 7/1/2022 at 4:25 PM, HomeAgain said:

I don't think it would do a kid a disservice to go through MUS, but I think with the parents' lack of time and mathematics, it might be better for the kids to go through Math Mammoth instead.

All the Light Blue books in chronological order, or the blue series on the important topics at their grade level? I worry the former might take much longer than the latter.

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3 minutes ago, Malam said:

All the Light Blue books in chronological order, or the blue series on the important topics at their grade level? I worry the former might take much longer than the latter.

I use the topical dark blue books.  It's easier to focus on just what a kid is struggling with and back up/accelerate as needed for each one.

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