June 28, 2013
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Math Managed
This is more a tackle and score for James than for me. A few months back math was his nemesis, bringing more behavioral issues than answers. Touch Math was being offered up, as well as a number line that ran vertically.Well, long story short. I don't think touch math is The Answer for James. There are too many touch and steps. I questioned the vertical orientation of the number line, which was literally a 90° change from the left-to-right horizontal lines he'd been using for the past 2+ years.
In stepped a new aide with a strong visual and graphic design background (also a deep understanding of dyslexia). She made special math flash cards for him. Now, voila! James did a sheet of 35 addition questions all by himself!
His new aide also discovered a great motivator: a white board ($1 at the Dollar Store). While James knows his addition facts to at least 20, the board motivates him to keep working on his sheet until he's finished all the problems.
Awesome. Unless you've had to watch your child struggle for years, it's hard to grasp how something so simple can seem like a mountain, and conquering it can move you to tears.
How about you? What did you accomplish? Are you looking for inspiration?
Comments (2)
White boards are amazing! I love mini white boards!!!
But quick question: how did those special flashcards differ? I'm a teacher and would love to have any tips you have to offer!
(And I hate vertical number lines too...they're so annoying and disorienting...and I'm a 7-12 math teacher!)
For the longest time my son refused to write on paper. When he was still in school and his teachers would try to make him, he would just scribble across it and run away. On his assessments, his teachers had to report that he was "unable" to do the things he was asked to do.
When I pulled him out of school in March and began to homeschool him, I bought him a whiteboard. I began by writing his name, letters, numbers, etc with a yellow marker and had him trace over it with a black one. He loved it. Within a week he was writing by himself.