I'm looking for ideas on how to solve our math problems. My other thread about my violent child is related. Math is a big trigger for him lately. He's frustrated by multiple digit multiplication. He wants perfect silence, but refuses to leave the kitchen area to do it. He seems to understand the concept, but mixes himself up because his mind wanders too much. So far all I can think of is maybe some soft music on an MP3 player and doing the math on graph paper so that he can keep the columns straight at least. Any other ideas? In the past math has been easy for him, but he's really fighting it now. I have been happy with Math-U-See to this point, but I think the way they present the multiple digit multiplication is a little odd, and it's really confusing my son. He needs something a little more straightforward and I'm considering switching curricula but I'm not sure if that's a good idea.
We use Teaching Textbooks, and that has been an absolute God-send in our house. BOTH my older kids who dislike Math, do math first now because of it. I know that would be an expensive fix....so... How aobut downloading the Math Mammouth books on multi-digit multiplication? They're fairly inexpensive and you can download through www.currclick.com . I've used them in the past for fill-in or just to give my kids a different perspective on how to do something. They're easy to use that way. Also, my son, who's never really been diagnosed with ADD, Aspbergers or Sensory Integration disorders, BUT certainly leans towards some of the tendencies, does WAY better with seat work if he is sitting on an exercise ball OR listening to music in an MP3 player (with headphones). Sometimes, both. HTH.
We use MUS, but my kids didn't care for the way MUS does multiple digit multiplication. I taught them the simpler way that I learned. If he does well with MUS in all other areas, I would hesitate a bit before switching a format he is used to in case that would add even more stress.
Just to clarify (not being defensive, Brooke, I don't take your advice as an attack on mine). I just want to clarify. Don't scrap MUS - that's not what I meant, if that's how it sounded sorry. I was thinking maybe take a diversionary break for a few weeks and use JUST the MM book that deals with multi-digit multiplication. It might help him to think about it differently. That's all. Then go back to MUS and see how he does. We ended up trying that and leaving MUS even though I wanted to go back to it (for my son, who just wasn't a good fit for MUS). Shame of it is I love MUS. Never get to use it!!! LOL Many things for my oldest, I've had to stop the curricula we used, take a break and find a workbook, or worksheets, or sit down and teach it the way I learned it, in order for her to get it. Then we found TT. Thankfully, she's really grasping Math well now. Sorry if I wasn't clear!
Oh, wow. I'm so sorry. I didn't at all relate my post to yours. I can see where it would come across that way. I had read what they were using and thought, "Oh, yes! I remember having a problem there, too!"
Try using a whiteboard and do the questions with him step by step until he gets it for himself. It has helped my son alot instead of being faced with a thousand problems on a page ;P we do five or six together on the whiteboard one at a time.
A whiteboard or even a plain sheet of paper with 1 problem on it is great. I print off larger graph paper. If you do a search you can find all different sizes. You will want a paper that is easy for him to write in and have a little extra space so everything stays clear and doesn't become messy and jumbled. After reading Brooke's comment I would say if you like MUS I would teach it to him myself. It's only one concept. If it turned out to be every concept from now on that would change things entirely. You know how you learned it and so you can break it down step by step and teach him that way. The blocks are great. You can lay them out yourself and see how to explain it before you try with him so you end up not confusing the situation more and I bet once it clicks he will do fine. I will also say sometimes my daughter struggled with something and we just did something else for awhile and when we went back to it, it turned out to be simple for her. I don't use a curriculum though so that might be easier for me. You could do something for a little while though that you don't think is covered in MUS as much. I wouldn't know what that is though since I don't use Math U See. Geometry concepts or calendars or Roman Numerals may or may not be covered in MUS. Maybe it would make him less tense if he knew he wasn't graded on something for awhile?
