although I’d still like to know how a child who can do logic puzzles designed for much older children and adults can struggle over 1 add 2….and as for concentration span! aargh….
Anyway, she’s racing through her exeter maths without the slightest demurral, although we struggled rather on a question about colouring in every second ball and every third ball, I think because the idea of going back to one wasn’t there. Or something. And I’ve been wandering around Shiller Math and wondering about making a purchase – it would fit very well with what they are doing at school (I assume!) and I am worrying on several levels about maths atm. Basically, the plan on maths was that I would keep an eye on what we were randomly covering from our vast selection of workbooks and resources (although when I totted up spending today, I realised it was less than £50, not bad really considering how much we’ve got kicking about) and make sure all the bases were covered. I think maths is important – it is the grounding for so many other disciplines. And I would hate to let it slip and get to the point my sister got to, where she just didn’t believe in any of her abilities because she couldn’t get basic maths. But now that I’m not here day in day out to do that, I’m not nearly as comfortable. I know Big is very young, but she’s also fairly bright, and another concern is that we let her down by allowing her to waste her formative years as it were. I believe that there is a window of opportunity for maths in much the same way for language and so I think it’s important for her to enjoy whatever it is we provide for her, and that it developes all the basic skills she needs to be able to go on to whatever it is she wants to be able to do.
Phew, that’s rather a lot of stuff to take in! Probably less than coherent as Big (at her request) is doing extra pages of Exeter at the table, so I keep getting interrupted to read the next question out! 😉
She’s just filled in that dot is bigger than minus dot….um, yes, guess she has got the hang of minus numbers then….
other than that, I’ve played with a wiki for the sake of my own education ;), had a bath to get rid of the stomach ache, and make fajitas for tea, which I enjoyed, and other ppl didn’t really.
Right, must chase them to bed, may be back later.
Comments
8 responses to “A productive afternoon”
Hope you come to a decision that benefits you all wrt maths. I’m still not worrying about it. One day it will come and bite me on the bum and I will worry more than anyone else!! 😉
Can quite agree with your principles on maths, one of the reasons I’m a bit of a control freak about it here. Dunno what the answer is though!
Not sure actually where i stand on maths really. i loved maths, but think I really didn’t do a whole load early on, and still did v well – in fact when went to grammer school, was streamed to middle due to lack of terachin, and by end of first year was restreamed to top.
Both SB and I enjoy the practical bits, but are being slack on singapore at the moment, which does give me the odd wibble.
We don’t use curricula or anything but I think we’ve observed a lot of interesting things about how Leo is learning maths. He really doesn’t develop his knowledge in the kind of linear fashion it is usually taught. He has often observed things about ‘sets’ of things – by which he means multiplication. In school they stress addition and subtraction first. He can’t always remember that Pearl is three years older than him – he will often make it four. But, on the other hand, he knew that if he bought a toy for £13.99 in the shop the other day he would get a pound change from his £15.
I think people often lose confidence in Maths as schools traditionally make such heavy weather of it – I know I did. I think confidence to play and enjoy makes maths a different experience. Dani was brought up by mathematicians who always emphasised the fun and beauty of mathematics and she never had the self doubt about it that I did.
Arrgghhh – don’t mention maths.
Myf sat and did half a sudoku puzzle a few weeks ago, quite happily and got the concept very easily. She can count by 2s, 5s and 10s. But don’t bother asking her what two single digit numbers add up to. I haven’t even started with the other processes. Addition is a big enough battle for us atm.
However, I did just buy a bunch of Miquon math stuff from the US – time will tell if it suits better than Singapore.
I’ve got a good pass at Sixth Year Studies Maths, and realised today that I seem to have missed (or been mis-taught) a basic concept somewhere along the line, probably when aged about 8. We are going through a relatively structured phase with it here, but thankfully, it’s Bob’s reponsibilitiy!!
which basic concept? Probability is the one I missed – was off sick for the first week or so, and have never really got to grips with it, despite studying it in two different ways at degree level.
but… but… maths is just *life*…