Not an unschooler =) - ramble about math
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Tia writes: "> As one unschooling girl once told me, "It doesn't take a
very long for my girl to understand multiplication and master the table.
Mastering the multiplication table is something I just "have"' in my head. I
can multiply anything (within about 3 digits I think =) Fractions, however,
were understood in days by my girl. Each child being so different means that
there has to be the freedom of time, different approaches to "getting it" and
opportunities to see it in many ways (i.e. pie pieces, money, etc. for
fractions.) Multiplication is harder thought.
I think that's where I most definitely am outside the unschool method as I
understand it. I want her to learn multiplication facts, the table of
factors. She's finally got it, but its not her personal strength. That's
okay...we aren't drill sergeants here making sure she can recite them on cue
=p
I must say this though: it was public schools (last year) that really screwed
her up in this area! They spent four or five sessions on multiplication
during the year and if you didn't get it then that's just too bad. Why the
heck they kept jumping around back and forth I will never understand. They
did it just in time so that whatever she may have learned/remembered was gone
by the time they went back to it. This was one of the reasons for h/s (among
soooooooo many =) I do LOVE it.
Here in AZ they do this third grade AIMS standardized testing. She
participated (we are in fourth grade and doing first year of h/s.) She
scored in the post-high-school range of language and writing, however, she
was in the second grade level of math - and they were putting her into the
fourth grade. How many of us remember or know others that didn't get it in
math and hated it forevermore? Blech.
Kristine
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> whole year to learn fractions." She's well on her way into a career as anROFL...Makes me think "DUH!" I know that for sure, but I swear its taken so
> opera singer, with a master's degree no less."
very long for my girl to understand multiplication and master the table.
Mastering the multiplication table is something I just "have"' in my head. I
can multiply anything (within about 3 digits I think =) Fractions, however,
were understood in days by my girl. Each child being so different means that
there has to be the freedom of time, different approaches to "getting it" and
opportunities to see it in many ways (i.e. pie pieces, money, etc. for
fractions.) Multiplication is harder thought.
I think that's where I most definitely am outside the unschool method as I
understand it. I want her to learn multiplication facts, the table of
factors. She's finally got it, but its not her personal strength. That's
okay...we aren't drill sergeants here making sure she can recite them on cue
=p
I must say this though: it was public schools (last year) that really screwed
her up in this area! They spent four or five sessions on multiplication
during the year and if you didn't get it then that's just too bad. Why the
heck they kept jumping around back and forth I will never understand. They
did it just in time so that whatever she may have learned/remembered was gone
by the time they went back to it. This was one of the reasons for h/s (among
soooooooo many =) I do LOVE it.
Here in AZ they do this third grade AIMS standardized testing. She
participated (we are in fourth grade and doing first year of h/s.) She
scored in the post-high-school range of language and writing, however, she
was in the second grade level of math - and they were putting her into the
fourth grade. How many of us remember or know others that didn't get it in
math and hated it forevermore? Blech.
Kristine
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Tia Leschke
>Could be she hasn't had a need for speed in recalling them yet. I know a
>ROFL...Makes me think "DUH!" I know that for sure, but I swear its taken so
>very long for my girl to understand multiplication and master the table.
young man who recently graduated from university in math and computer
science. He was unschooled through high school. I asked him a couple of
years ago whether he had memorized the multiplication tables. He said he
hadn't, but he could figure them out faster than most people are able to
recall them.
I wonder if trying to get her to master the tables has held up her actual
*understanding* of them. In other words, if you don't understand what
multiplication actually is, adding the same number x number of times, then
it's going to be awfully hard to remember them.
>Here in AZ they do this third grade AIMS standardized testing. SheI did fine in math until we got to long division in grade 4. After that I
>participated (we are in fourth grade and doing first year of h/s.) She
>scored in the post-high-school range of language and writing, however, she
>was in the second grade level of math - and they were putting her into the
>fourth grade. How many of us remember or know others that didn't get it in
>math and hated it forevermore? Blech.
was always way behind. But if I had been able to get it at my own
speed? Who knows what I might have done. I've always been good with logic
stuff. It was the numbers that got to me.
About testing at different grade levels . . . I went through the BC
learning outcomes one year for the report I had to send for my son. I had
stuff marked off in various subjects from kindergarten to grade 8
level. He was all over the map. Still is. <g> I asked the online
teacher how many kids in the average grade 4 classroom would be at the
"correct" grade level in every subject. His answer was none. Kids just
don't learn things at the same rate.
Tia
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
Eleanor Roosevelt
*********************************************
Tia Leschke
leschke@...
On Vancouver Island