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Angel
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| Posted: Aug 17 2007 at 11:11am | IP Logged
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This is a non-purist, elementary age Montessori at home question...
To make things a little easier in the first couple months after the baby is born, I've given my 8 yo dd the red Miquon math workbook to start in. Math is a very strange area for her. She tends to mysteriously forget things she knew -- basic things, like place value -- for a time before she just as mysteriously "remembers" them. She seems not to understand any kind of math concept unless she can hold it in her hand. Montessori is good for her, but there's no way I'm going to be able to keep up with presentations consistently in the next 2 months.
The problem I ran into this morning had to do with a problem like this:
4+2+3 = __ + 2
The answer is 7, because they combined 4+3.
I've now spent close to an hour on two separate days trying to explain this with beads, pictures, money, real life examples... everything I can think of, basically. But for some reason nothing clicks. She slumps in her seat and gets a dull look on her face. This is not conducive to understanding. This happens after 5 minutes (or less).
What do I do? Keep representing problems like this every day until she finally gets it? Let her go after 5 minutes because her attitude is totally not there? If I start putting away the materials and say, "Well, why don't we stop here and you do something else," too early she always says, "No! I just don't understand!" like she's in trouble or something.
I think part of my block in what to do is that this seems like a pretty simple concept, especially for a kid who was just subtracting hundreds and thousands across one and two zeroes recently.
--Angela
Three Plus Two
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: Aug 17 2007 at 11:32am | IP Logged
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Have you tried using a balance? If you have a balance and cuisenaire rods you can put a 4 and a 2 and a 3 on one side, and a 2 on the other, and ask her to find which single rod makes it balance out.
Explain to her that the equal sign is like the arm of the balance, you want it nice and level, and than both side are equal.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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montessori_lori
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| Posted: Aug 17 2007 at 1:22pm | IP Logged
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I think that the equation you mention is actually a pretty sophisticated concept - much harder than adding units, tens, hundreds, and thousands across the board.
It helps me to remember that many times, kids don't actually have the brain circuitry yet to understand certain concepts. It doesn't really matter how many different ways you present it, they're not going to get it.
In that case, I say just try again later. It's not a concept that she *must* get right now. Also, the complete honesty policy works well here: gently tell her, "I'm not sure you're ready for this concept yet. We'll try it again in a few months." Kids open up when you are honest with them. She may have a breakthrough and actually get it, or just be relieved to leave it alone for awhile.
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vmalott
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| Posted: Aug 17 2007 at 1:46pm | IP Logged
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I agree with Lori. These sorts of problems are early preparation for algebra. We ditched Miquon very early on for other reasons, switching for a time to Saxon (which we just recently ditched). In fact, I don't think anything of this sort comes up in Saxon until about midway in Saxon 3.
I do like Theresa's suggestion with the balance, though. Maybe after a break from this type of problem, you could come back and try this method, "balancing the equation." 
Valerie
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Valerie
Mom to Julia ('94), John ('96), Lizzy ('98), Connor ('01), Drew ('02), Cate ('04), Aidan ('08) and three saints in heaven
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Meredith
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| Posted: Aug 17 2007 at 2:42pm | IP Logged
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We thought it was interesting that Miquon introduces ALL of these functions in the very first book. My kids happen to like it very much, although I'm not sure if they ever *got it*  I am in agreement with Lori that it's pretty abstract and needs to be set aside for now. I LOVE the balance the equation Theresa!!
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Meredith
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: Aug 17 2007 at 3:49pm | IP Logged
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When I used Miquon way back when, I found it very teacher-intensive. It's not like a workbook you can just hand a child and back off. Or at least it wasn't for me. I find it very conceptually front-loaded, with little repetition. A big plus for some kids, not for others. If I were in your shoes, Angela, as much as I love it, Miquon is the last thing I'd give a child "to make things a little easier."
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
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Angel
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| Posted: Aug 17 2007 at 5:44pm | IP Logged
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lapazfarm wrote:
| When I used Miquon way back when, I found it very teacher-intensive. It's not like a workbook you can just hand a child and back off. Or at least it wasn't for me. I find it very conceptually front-loaded, with little repetition. A big plus for some kids, not for others. If I were in your shoes, Angela, as much as I love it, Miquon is the last thing I'd give a child "to make things a little easier." |
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Well, this is what I did and how we settled on Miquon. I went down to the basement and hauled up all the math curriculm I had on hand that hadn't worked with her brother at about the same age. That would be Miquon, Singapore, and Horizon. My dd had actually tried Saxon 3 last spring and both of us really disliked it, so we ditched it. The only big curriculum I don't have is Math-U-See, and I haven't invested in that one because of the TV component; if I turn on the TV during the day, everyone's concentration is blown.
Anyway, I set out the Miquon, Horizon, and Singapore books, and I said, "we just need something to keep us on track for the next couple months. Which one of these do you like best?" She picked Miquon.
Honestly, I didn't think she'd go all the way back to near the beginning, because we've just been talking about multiplication and fractions.
I think we probably will just move on. (I like the idea of the balance... wish we had one!) Or maybe I will just ditch the whole workbook/program idea and do... something else. She's quite a bright kid, but math with her is difficult. If I give her a regular workbook, numbers lose all meaning. But with so much going on in our lives... it becomes difficult to be consistent without a little help sometimes.
--Angela
Three Plus Two
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4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: When a child doesn't "get it"
