Delayed Math Instruction??

Viewing 1 post (of 1 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • elsnow6
    Participant

    Hi! I haven’t been on in a while but am starting to get into planning mode. I’ve read a little on the benefit of delaying math instruction and wondering if anyone here has done so. I have a 10yo and 7yo (birthday was Monday), both girls. My oldest did Teaching Textbooks this last school year & did well but started to give me a hard time about doing it toward the end of the year (just the meltdowns of “this is too hard!” then finally doing it without any real struggle, so who knows what really prompted the meltdowns). My younger just moves soooo slowly through everything. I’m pretty sure there isn’t any learning disability just difficulty with focusing and a lack of interest in academics (rather be dressing up most of the time)…for ex. I have her read in her Pathways reader, & she gets a few words read then starts talking about something (same with math). I’m using Math Mammoth Grade 1 with her after trying it then going to RightStart (already had from my oldest) and back to Math Mammoth. I try to limit it to 10 minutes, but we are barely getting anywhere because she moves so slowly because of lack of focus, & I can only handle it so long sitting with her trying to direct her attention back to the work because it makes me crazy!! So, I’m wondering about perhaps just letting her play math games on computer, talking about math as it arises during our day (for ex. help me measuring things around the house when I’m trying to figure out where to move a piece of furniture, talking about fractions when cooking/baking, how many more/less we need of something) and using books that incorporate math topics & problems through a storyline…just not sitting down trying to accomplish a certain lesson…then picking up with a math curriculum around maybe 10 or 11 when she’s more developmentally ready to focus and can process the concepts more quickly. I’ve also thought about cutting back with my 10yo and picking up again in a year or so just to see if it reduces the meltdowns and conflict between us because she’ll pick it up more quickly (she seems to get frustrated if something doesn’t come to her quickly like it did when she was little and “ahead” for her age). Of course these thoughts are based on the things I’ve read that delaying math instruction allows for a child to pick up all the math we’d normally teach from about 5 or 6 years old until around 5th or 6th grade in just 6 months to a year because their brains are ready. Any thoughts or experience with this? Just trying to remove as many things as possible that create stress and battles but don’t want to inappropriately delay instruction.

Viewing 1 post (of 1 total)
  • The topic ‘Delayed Math Instruction??’ is closed to new replies.