| Author | |
SallyT
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 08 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2489
|
| Posted: June 15 2012 at 2:34pm | IP Logged
|
 |
|
OK, so on this thread, I asked the following very long-winded question:
I guess my main question, Kris, is: do you really implement MEP as written, with three children? The whole daily lesson plan for each child's level, including the practice-book exercises? Do you combine any of your three into a single level? If you are doing three, or even two, different levels daily, how does this work in terms of time and scheduling? Do you do all of a given lesson every day?
I appreciate the beauty and wisdom of MEP -- as I say, we've really liked it -- but in addition to the whole testing-anxiety thing, I've also struggled with how to implement it. A single whole lesson takes a long time, even when you adjust for having a single, or at most two children doing it, and when we were doing MEP exclusively for math, we were spending entire mornings on math. I'm comfortable giving math a larger place in my program than Miss Mason seems to indicate it should have, but I was feeling that what we had was a math-centered curriculum going on . . . And the long, elaborate lessons, while fun, seemed to leave little time for any other math resources, eg math literature. We were all just thinking, "Enough!"
But then if I left anything out, especially from the scripted lesson, I felt the kids were missing important things. And if we did only partial lessons, we fell behind, which as I'd started us out at Y1 was hardly what I wanted to happen. Also, what the kids wanted was to get on with independent work, without a lot of teaching from me, an approach which has overall worked well for us . . .
All of which has led to schizophrenia. For all that, the kids do do okay in math, but I would really like to settle into something for the long haul, because all this curriculum upheaval cannot be good for us.
The bottom line is that I want everyone to wind up having mastered those foundational concept/skill sets by grades 6-7 (though in a way, all pre-algebra does is go back over them) so that, ideally, we're doing algebra in 8th. A less mathy kid can do it in 9th . . . I just really don't want to repeat the angst we experienced with my #1 child (who did pull a B in her college geometry class, and so is done with math forever, or until she takes the GRE . . . ).
Anyway, I think that in many ways I'm looking for much the same thing that Angela's looking for: that scales/concerto thing.
It may already be too late, and I may already have hijacked Angela's really excellent thread on creating a living-math curriculum, but I thought if we moved the MEP part of the conversation over here, that might be helpful in all kinds of ways.
So, um . . . I know that there are several of us who have used/struggled with using MEP, liking it but still trying to figure out how, exactly, to make it a part of our overall daily picture. To that end, I'm just throwing all this out there for consideration and conversation. I come at all this, by the way, as a seriously math-impaired person who has come to love teaching/learning math and to be interested in *how* it's learned, and on how many levels it's possible to learn it . . .
Anyway, have at it!
Sally
__________________
Castle in the Sea
Abandon Hopefully
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
AtHomeScience
Forum Pro
Joined: Oct 29 2009
Location: Massachusetts
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 154
|
| Posted: June 15 2012 at 4:41pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Sally, you are spot on when it comes to MEP. Having one child does not make a lesson shorter; in fact it makes it longer. Think about how a teacher would go around a room asking a sequence of kids to give the next answer; as a homeschooler you child has to give all the answers. That's one area you could cut back on--things that would normally be done spread out around a class of kids.
Math sucked up a huge amount of my day especially because only 1 of my 3 kids can pick up math concepts with any ease. This year I asked my aunt to take over doing MEP with the younger 2 (one being the quick one) while I worked with Ds#1 who really needs a lot of time, attention, and focusing. (My aunt actually does this from her house over the Internet using an online whiteboard.) I have not done any other kind of math with them since MEP consumes so much of our time. But I am VERY impressed with the results, so that is why we stick with it.
I am intrigued in how one could combine math literature with MEP. Maybe now that I have gone through Y1 through half of Y6 with my kids I could look back and see how things could be done differently.
There's always the summers. My kids tend to forget all their math facts and skills over the summer, so maybe switching gears for those couple of months when things are more relaxed might be good. Then again, I can think of many other subjects I could do the same thing with in the summer, or doing nothing at all...
__________________
Kris, Mom to 3 rambunctious boys 
At Home Science
A Private Eye Nature
Science Of Relations
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
LucyP
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 05 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 791
|
| Posted: June 15 2012 at 5:00pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
We use MEP. I have an 8yo DS who struggles with maths and a 5yo DD who is quite quick with maths, and after a few attempts at different curricula - MEP attempt #1, MUS, Waldorf maths - both kids are doing Year 1. I like MEP because it is a very taught curriculum and DS needs that - he would do pages of MUS all correctly but had zero medium to long term recall and could not apply his knowledge at all because it was all about just getting the pages of sums done and moving on.
Our lessons take less time than 45 minutes - I aim for 30 minutes. I do follow the lesson plan pretty closely - because I see the sense in breaking up the written work with songs, verbal work etc - but we often do stuff on the whiteboard rather than in books or using manipulatives, and I will encourage DS to do all the exercises on a page while DD and I will work on just a couple. We also don't do the work looking at posters since I know they understand that type of thing.
I actually feel a lot of peace about maths which is a new thing, and I trust that DS will improve, given time.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
SallyT
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 08 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2489
|
| Posted: June 15 2012 at 9:07pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Funnily enough, math is the one core subject where it doesn't make sense to me to combine my two youngest, who are currently 8 and 9. I did combine them in Y1 last year, but I felt I was holding the older child, who's quick at math, back -- though he actually found what we were doing plenty challenging. Still, he's had no problem with the Y3 interactive practice exercises we've done together, whereas the 8yo is pretty much checked out when we do them.
Anyway, I'm thinking I really shouldn't put them together next year. So I'm trying to figure out how not to have our day go on and on and be all about math . . . because the more I think about it and revisit the lessons for Y2 and Y3, the more I think that's what I need to do, and see it through, but I LIKE our routine of Morning Basket/independent table work. It works for us. We spend an intensive hour-ish together, then the kids and I are all ready to turn to work done more or less privately and autonomously.
Maybe I'll pull mental-math stuff from both levels for something daily during Morning Basket . . . but then we also want some math literature . . .
My problem is always that I want to do EVERYTHING. And it's not humanly possible. I think this is what we're confronting here . . .
Sally
__________________
Castle in the Sea
Abandon Hopefully
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
AmandaV
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 27 2009
Location: Texas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 707
|
| Posted: June 16 2012 at 12:38pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Sally, thanks for bringing this up. I have been looking back at MEP posts like MEP minute by minute and others the last few days and thinking I really want to do it again and do it right, as I believe it is such a strong approach and worthwhile.. And then I clicked on active topics yesterday and saw your post! I have attempted it since last November but this year, in 2A, I sunk into a "here, start on the practice book page" approach, planning to insert the lesson in, and often to getting to it. I could explain the pages but we weren't doing the "meat"of the program.. And it wasn't fun. I thought with how busy I am I need to just give my 2nd almost 3rd grader something self teaching, so I bought Math mammoth grade 1-3 download. And its great. But it's not solving our problems and I still prefer the MEP approach. I bought a bunch more living math books as my kids love the I love math ones we have ... But I think I really want to go back to mep along with a living math/books approach. Sometimes I wish I had time to adapt it to a more self teaching model. And I totally wish I had an aunt who could teach one of my kids via skype. So cool, Kris! I think I just need to dig in, get everything printed, filed per lesson and all supplies in a big box together and ready to do immediately after morning prayers/basket work. I am totally babbling and "thinking aloud" here, but you are inspiring me Sally! Okay, back to Saturday chores and to ponder this a bit.
__________________
Amanda
wife since 6/03, Mom to son 7/04, daughter 2/06, twin sons 6/08 and son 7/11, son 1/2014
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
SallyT
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 08 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2489
|
| Posted: June 16 2012 at 4:16pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
That's exactly what we were doing, Amanda.
And I'm feeling at sixes and sevens here:
*I want to use living math resources, chiefly Life of Fred, during our MB time.
*I want to use MEP
*I want not to spend my entire day on end-to-end math lessons
*I want my children to learn with an approach like MEP's
*I want my children to learn normal math skills like everybody else so we don't freak out at mandatory test time
*I want my children to work independently and not rely on me to lead them through lessons
*my ultimate goal is to raise autodidacts who do their own laundry.
*my ultimate goal is to raise literate, numerate, thinking, resourceful, problem-solving people
AND I'm now looking at a non-self-teaching language-arts program (The Logic of English), which I honestly think might be really good for my 8yo and also good for my 9yo, so there goes independent table work altogether. Good thing my 18-year-old is out of the house, and my 14-year-old is raising himself, because the younger children and I will be doing SCHOOL. Until October, when we can't take the pace any more.
If anyone would like to address all of this, do please have at it.
Sally
__________________
Castle in the Sea
Abandon Hopefully
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
AmandaV
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 27 2009
Location: Texas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 707
|
| Posted: June 16 2012 at 5:06pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
One more good article- I like how she relates CM's math writings to MEP: Are MEP and CM compatible?
But again, she has ONE child. Which is totally different than a baby, two preschoolers, and two young elementary students. I shouldn't make excuses for myself, but it is harder to find the one on one math time that I'd like. But I think I am determined once again to do it. Because when I use MEP right, it is great. And she does say, in the MEP minute by minute post linked above, that around year 3 MEP really gets less teacher intensive and more independent. (I'm especially excited about the interactive pages for 3a and 3b and above, I think. Kris, can you comment on that?
Sally, have you looked at KISS grammar? Also free online, and lovely but not super intense. I know you were using Language of God. I like how KISS uses real literature and not contrived sentences. But that is off topic... :)
__________________
Amanda
wife since 6/03, Mom to son 7/04, daughter 2/06, twin sons 6/08 and son 7/11, son 1/2014
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
SallyT
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 08 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2489
|
| Posted: June 16 2012 at 7:14pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Re the grammar (maybe I need to start a thread in the LA forum, so we can figure my whole life out here): my 8yo has some issues which are starting to concern me, which is why I'm considering an approach engineered to deal with dyslexic tendencies. Otherwise I'd just go with LOG without questioning myself -- I think LOG is fine in the normal scheme of things.
I'll have to read that MEP/CM article. Looks intriguing. Thanks!
Sally
__________________
Castle in the Sea
Abandon Hopefully
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Erin
Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 23 2005
Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5814
|
| Posted: Oct 03 2013 at 4:28am | IP Logged
|
|
|
So did any of you ladies switch to MEP and if so what were your experiences?
__________________
Erin
Faith Filled Days
Seven Little Australians
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
AmandaV
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 27 2009
Location: Texas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 707
|
| Posted: Oct 05 2013 at 5:12pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
We went back to it, Erin. I still struggle a bit with wanting to just teach the student book page rather than the lessons, but I always go back to the lessons because they are so good and prepare the child for the lesson a few days later usually. Without that I end up teaching what they would have learned earlier but in a less conducive way. I'm enjoying it this year.
__________________
Amanda
wife since 6/03, Mom to son 7/04, daughter 2/06, twin sons 6/08 and son 7/11, son 1/2014
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
SallyT
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 08 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2489
|
| Posted: Oct 05 2013 at 6:43pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I use it supplementally, not the whole curriculum. Life of Fred is our spine, but we take days off and do MEP.
Sally
__________________
Castle in the Sea
Abandon Hopefully
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Erin
Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 23 2005
Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5814
|
| Posted: Oct 05 2013 at 8:33pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Amanda
That's really good to have you reinforce about the lessons for me. Thanks! Still getting the children to take the tests and reading through the Scheme of Work and reading my friend Jeanne's wonderful words of wisdom regards MEP.
How do you find MEP with multiple ages?
__________________
Erin
Faith Filled Days
Seven Little Australians
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
4Real Forums : Living and Loving Numbers
Topic: MEP: for Kris and anyone else
