My take on the big "Math" puzzle


First of all, I must confess that I am no math whiz. I certainly see a need for math but it was not my favorite subject in school. Like all things, it is when we struggle that we learn the most. And so I thought I would share my thoughts from our journey.

1. Beginning Math Education - I believe in teaching math incrementaly and with mastery as its goal. When children are you they should be starting with counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, and then decimals. This will lay a strong foundation for higher level math.

2. Junior High Math - I think this is where we, as parents, can get ahead of ourselves. If our children have not mastered the basics anything higher than basic math will be a challenge for our children. This is also the time when we begin to feel the pressure to be prepared for high school math. We can get caught up in the idea of Algebra in 9th grade, Geometry in 10th grade, etc. that we neglect to see where our children really need to focus. I personally think spending time in the junior high level and reinforcing these skills is a great approach...especially for the math challenged. A spiral approach will help solidify any holes your child may have as well by continually reviewing a variety of topics while introducing new ones.

My personal math suggestions...
K Math U See Primer
1 Math U See Alpha
2 Math U See Beta
3 Math U See Gamma
4 Math U See Delta
5 Math U See Epsilon
6 Math U See Zeta
7 Saxon 7/6 or Saxon 8/7
8 Saxon 8/7 or Pre-Algebra*

* At this point, I would recommend researching which high school math programs best suit your type of learner. I do like the Math U See Algebra, Algebra II, and Geometry but would recommend adding a supplement to this.

0 comments:

Copyright © 2009 - Our Story in Progress - is proudly powered by Blogger
Smashing Magazine - Design Disease - Blog and Web - Dilectio Blogger Template