Constructivist Math

Here is a link to a great video. It explains, in plain language and with examples, the “constructivist” math programs hindering our special education students (and many others).  Investigations Math, taught in our local public school system, was a disaster for both of my children but especially my son. I am now teaching my homeschooled son pre-algebra  in conjunction with mastering long division and fractions, and having great success with traditional methods. My daughter, who is in a private school, is being tutored after school so she can catch up. From the time they were in 4th grade they were bringing home work we could not understand or help them with and we have 3 degrees between us, two in engineering. I argued against these programs for years without success and they are still being used.

There is much disagreement about these programs and I know that some homeschooling parents use Everyday Math and consider it a success.  These programs have been anything but for us.

If you’d like to understand more – just watch the video.

Triennial Evaluation

My son just had his triennial evaluation for his IEP. It was interesting to say the least. I always wonder how much stock to put in one test given on one day. That’s what we have to deal with however. Que sera, que sera.

He was previously designated as having a language disability. To the surprise of his examiner he scored pretty well on reading comprehension. It was no surprise to me because we have worked so hard on that skill.

They want to change his designation to math and writing disability and at this point I have to agree with them. He is behind in math and and has a particularly difficult time when you get him away from straight calculation. His writing, while interesting in itself, is frequently dismal in spelling, grammar and organization. He is a very good storyteller when he is speaking. I hope I can be helpful enough to him in his writing process and I am looking for materials which will help me. His first love is aviation and he probably cannot become a pilot for medical reasons so to my surprise he has decided to become a travel writer! Since this decision he has written more, with more enthusiasm, than I’ve ever seen.

His IQ scores were up and down and were labeled “severely discrepant”. That means that it is impossible to judge his potential by how he tests.  The future is uncertain.

I do know the traditional college path is unlikely. We question whether he will be able to handle a full course load at a major university, simply because of the stress that causes and the level of organization it demands.   He does not want to leave home and I don’t think he should (unlike my daughter who will be fine wherever she goes). He may spend his first year or two at home, either attending community college or a private college part time and working at something he loves. That’s fine with us.

He also wants to be a volunteer paramedic.  We have a large and well-funded volunteer fire department nearby so the example has been set. He’s the kid who loves to watch “Trauma Center” on TV. He asks as many questions of the doctor as the doctor asks of him. He is very compassionate and nurturing and is never, ever grossed out. Hmmm. Sounds like a good candidate to me!

I agreed to have additional, more comprehensive IQ testing done last week in order to make sure he retains his testing accomodations. In the coming weeks he’ll also have in-depth neuro/psych testing done by private physicians and I’ll be very interested to see the results. My family has always known he is smarter than the tests show. We see sparks of brilliance radiating out from underneath the learning issues. We intend to get a more detailed diagnosis in order to help him shine.

It’s a long and winding road. Never give up.

A Great Book

I’ve discovered some great books! The first one is Math Doesn’t Suck  by Danica McKellar. It’s aimed squarely at middle school girls and contains wonderful explanations of pre-algebra math concepts. She uses amusing and cute visual analogies without talking down to girls. I just love her monkeys hanging from factor trees. Each chapter stands on its own and can be read and understood independently from the rest of the book. I love it!

MATH FACTS

Today’s subject is MATH. I am not a believer in the “constructivist” math often taught in the schools today and prevalent in New York State. It is not “real math”, it is “fuzzy math”. My children have been told that they can get wrong answers and still receive full credit for their effort. That doesn’t sit well with me and in the real world it is nonsense. A math problem has an answer and if you cannot get the correct answer each and every time your skill is useless. 

Constructivist math tends to be heavily dependent upon word problems. Math taught this way is terrible for children with a language disability. A child who is having difficulties with English should not be failing math simply because he cannot understand a convoluted  word problem.  I have seen state math tests, given in districts with large numbers of English language learners and low literacy parents, in which every single math problem is a word problem and it should be no surprise that scores are low.

 I believe in slowly building up skills and confidence and providing children with the advantage of knowing their “math facts”. Teach them the math FIRST and don’t make it into an English course.

Now, the end of my rant and the solution to the problem – SAXON MATH. I purchased the SAXON 7/6 HOMESCHOOL package for my son, who is lagging behind in math due to poor instruction. It teaches new skills while providing plenty of “mixed practice” so that skills learned are not forgotten. Each lesson provides a “warm up” of facts practice, a math lesson, and supplemental practice sheets. Regular short tests are given which enable immediate intervention. Saxon Math provides a combination of number problems and word problems but the word problems are simple and straightforward and not the main focus. My son is doing well and building up the confidence he needs. I should have done this years ago.

You can purchase the complete curriculum directly from Saxon. It includes the lesson book, an answer book, and a practice & test book. Used curriculums are frequently sold on Ebay and in homeschool forums but may not contain all three items. Be sure you check the contents.