This is the program that my kids are doing in Public School right now (4th and 1st grade). Can someone share their experiences with this program, or knowledge of where this program ranks? Dh and I are in this limbo right now of "do we pull them out now or let them finish the year", and i'm just so stinkin mad over several issues. This program being one of them. The gaps in this program are really starting to show in my 4th grader. Yet he gets all "A's" I took a session at our upcoming homeschool conference on choosing a Math curriculum, and am hopeful that it will help me choose the one to transition them to now. I'd also love input on that, if possible. There are so many to choose from....:!:
I have heard horrible things about the one used in schools. I recently purchased one for cheap off of a lady and I gave it away just as fast. I was not happy or impressed with the way it teaches and does the math. It seems like it added 6 extra steps to a 3 step problem. Yuck! There is a lot of really great math programs out there. If you know what way your son learns best everyone here could give you some suggestions to look into. Also If you feel you need to pull them, pull them. I pulled my son out of ps Feb. of last year and haven't looked back since.
Mallori, I don't know the program you are talking about but I did want to say that my youngest daughter was getting wonderful grades in public school and according to the teachers she was a great student who didn't need a lot of help. They had nothing bad to say ever. Then I noticed she didn't seem to really know what she was doing in math and upon closer inspection I realized she was not earning good grades at all. They were giving her good grades because she was a great kid. She was totally lost at school and we had to play catch up all last year. This is our second year homeschooling and things are going much better now. She was so shy at school that she would not say that she didn't understand things. She also said kids made fun of you if you asked for extra help. It didn't take long for her to learn to just keep still. Now if she doesn't get something the first time we go over it we just do it again until she has a lightbulb moment and then we move on. I love homeschooling! Beth
I am not familiar with the program, though I think I have heard of it....hmm....I know a few elementary teachers and that does sound familiar. I know two junior high math teachers and both are very dissatisfied with their students math skills and how math is being taught in elementary school. both teachers (they are a married couple at my church) encouraged me to continue to homeschool. I am very picky about math. However, there are some great programs out there: Math u See, Singapore, Horizons, and Saxon to name a few. I am only familiar with Singapore (which I love) and will be using Math U See next year with one of my kids. Not what program to tell you to switch to if you decide to homeschool. Saxon is used a lot in public schools...I have heard mixed reviews. You may want to go to the website and have your kids take the placement tests on several math programs like Saxon, Horizons and Singapore.
I think my lightbulb moment came when I printed out several placement tests from other math programs when we were first considering hsing. My 1st grader did fine but my oldest failed both~badly. Upon looking the completed tests over, I was amazed that he was correct on some of the more difficult tasks, while he couldn't understand what some of the easier ones were looking for. He's a very scientific kid, as soon as he could read, he started devouring encyclopedias. He really is smart, and with the type of path that he is taking, he's going to need math skills. I thank you for the speedy replies! I welcome more, too. I've been lurking on this board for a while, and taking PAGES of notes. Coming up with a curriculum for them seem daunting, but I just keep plugging away, I know I'll get there. But today, I just want to scream.
This opened my eyes a few months ago to Everyday Mathematics. Go to youtube and search for everyday mathematics. Click on the one where the female meteorologists discusses this on a dry erase board. I was not allowed to post the link. Blessings, Trishy kriagirl.blogspot.com
I hate EM with a passion. This is simply, IMO, an inferior math program to some of the other things that are out there. If you google it, not only will you come up with that semi-hilarious you tube video but you'll also come up with more current 'research' and opinions from the poor teachers that have to teach with it that's saying this is not the way to teach math. It does a poor job teaching 'number' sense and is too abstract. Supposedly it teaches skills needed for higher order math but if a kid cannot add, subtract, multiply and divide and is not comfortable in numbers--then the application of the theoretical stuff is useless. JMO, but I have to say that having worked here for 12 years, every student I've ever had that was seriously behind and lacking in the are of math--used this program.
I can see the usefulness of teaching the other approaches..........AFTER as student has mastered the basic and simple algorithyms. Advanced students could be introduced to the others as extra work to expand there ability to think about numbers.
I think this is the one you're talking about Trishy. It's been posted on here before. Carl's a public school high school math teacher, and you can BELIEVE he had something to say about it! Currently, I've resorted to "one-room school house" techniques with Phillip's multiplication. Several times a day, we're reciting his 3x's. "Three times one is three. Three times two is six...." I have ALL THREE kids recite them as we drive to the library, etc. Well, guess what! IT'S WORKING!!! He was SO PROUD to get 18 problems done on his 1 minute Timed Test. We're moving on to the 4's table! (Oops!!! Editing, because I forgot the link!!!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr1qee-bTZI
Google 'fuzzy math' and you'll find a lot. Personally, I like (and use!) some of what I've seen of EM BUT that's as a supplement to the pretty old-fashioned approach we have. If you want an exploration based curriculum, Miquon is supposed to be much better. (I'm looking for Miquon materials by the way!)
I had never heard of this program before but after watching the woman discuss this on You Tube I am floored...I can not believe that school districts are actually teaching this...it's ten times more confusing that traditional math...and I know it's being used in at least some of our local schools because I found several different books of this type in our local warehouse where the used textbooks go. I will NEVER use these types of materials with my children. Dependency on Calculators is definitely not something I want to teach to my children....come to think of it I don't think we have a single calculator in this house.
I've heard a lot of negative about the Everyday Math program. I know that the school district that is next to me uses it. Another neighboring school district uses TERC Investigations. I have no idea what the school district I live in uses. My son did public school K last year and the math program consisted of orally counting to 100, writing to 30, tallying, graphing, counting objects (buttons and bucket o' bugs), calendar, patterning, shapes, geoboards, counting by 2's, 5's, and 10's, measuring, games with dice and a bit of adding and subtracting with games the last month of school. When people describe EM or TERC Investigations it sounds a little bit like what my son did last year, but I'm not quite sure. Another message board I am a member of just recently had a thread about Everyday Math. The parents disliked it because it was too confusing for the children and the parents when the kids needed help with the homework.
There are bits of it that sound familiar and are great. The problems comes when kids aren't given standard algorithyms to solve things like multiplication problems (instead they get the lattice method), little guidence on new concepts and no practice to reinforce new skills. It's sort of the opposite of the old kill and drill thing. Those kids used to do well with the skills of arithmetic but not have a clue of the concepts. The TERC and EM kids have the concepts nailed but stumble over simple equations.
Which is where we are at. Ds's teacher even goes so far as to skip steps that she feels "take too long" therefore leaving big gaps with the kids. I also agree with the person who said earlier that there is nothing wrong with teaching different methods, but they really need to have a solid foundation with standard algorithms first. I'm looking at back-tracking some with a different curric. to help my ds out this fall.
If you are going to teach him yourself I recommend Math U See its an awesome curriculum for Math...the manipulatives make the concept physical so the child can see it and then understand it and traditional algorithyms are taught along with memorization but then it also shows the whys of math and does a lot of word problems so that the child can make the connection of when and how to use math! I can't say enough good about it.
My mom has been teaching EM for years and the school dd will be at after we move uses it. I actually found samples and demos online after watching the YouTube video. If they'd gone back and showed earlier math before getting to that point it wouldn't be nearly as confusing because they build to that point. My mom said the problem comes when kids come into school in 3rd grade or higher and have never learned earlier EM. I personally have taught dd several ways to do things- we use SIngapore and Miquon plus I use other things as well so she has solid base. I've talked to other parents who have kids who have been doing EM in their schools and they don't have any complaints.
My son has been at the same school since Kindergarten. Every year, he has had high marks. I wish I had been more on the ball, and taught him some extra math here at home. So I take accountability for that. I guess I didn't worry because he always had high marks, and glowing accounts from his teachers at conferences. So I thought for years that he was advanced. But on doing some work with him at home, from the samples and placements tests on the net, the gaps and confusion show. Had I not done this, I would still be going along, complaint-free myself. I think that the teacher makes a big difference as well, and I gotta say, his teacher this year is not good.
