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Purely CM for math?
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For many years I have used Math U See, and this year I just switched to Richele’s book and am using the CM approach to math. While I do love this book and the method for some of my children, I am also still feeling the pull of a written, workbook style method for others. In particular, I have a cognitively delayed son who used to use touch point math to add on paper and was able to do it fairly well. He has extreme difficulty keeping numbers in his short term/ working memory without seeing them in front of him. The CM book has been helpful up to a point, but as the numbers get larger he is just struggling so much. Even after almost 5 months of the book, he does not even have the very basic of addition facts in his long term memory. I wonder if I should go back to the paper and pencil curriculum for him, but I hate to give up on CM methods! Do any of you use other curriculums and still feel that you can use the CM method? Is it “OK” to not be purely Charlotte Mason??
I like CM and find her ideas useful and interesting. However, I think as a homeschool mother I have to teach to MY children. Sometimes CM is best, sometimes something else is better for a certain child or time. You can always keep lessons short and add in a few meaningful quick story problems as a warm up. I think it as an unwise idea to teach to any curriculum or be bound to it inflexibly. To the best of your ability with God’s help teach to your child in the best way for him or her. Methods, workbooks, teachers manuals, philosophies, old textbooks….are tools you can use not masters over you.
Note: No matter what you use its easier to just plow through it as written. Sometimes this is fine; sometimes its not. Individualized teaching to the child is hard no matter what tools you use so also don’t be too hard on yourself;)
I agree 100% with Roslyn. Teach the child and don’t worry too much about making sure to fit 100% with a specific method. As much as I like CM and her methods, I have to do what works for me AND my kids (and each of them is different). Also, as someone personally who does so much better writing to help memorize, having to do mental math has never been easy for me, but when I could write it down and see the numbers working together it “clicked” so much better for me. So glad that my mom was willing to work with me and my needs, and not just use a specific method or book no matter how much she agreed with it or how well it worked for my siblings. 🙂
Agreeing with Roslyn. Use what works for your children.
How old is your son? Do you use dictation with him? My ds 13 has done dictation with me for years and does well with the oral story problems, though math is generally a struggle for him. My dd 11 has not yet done dictation and struggles more remembering the numbers with oral story problems, even though math is one of her strengths. So it may have to do with growing in attention and maturity. I would not completely abandon CM methods like oral story problems but adapt them to be challenging without frustrating.
We are not purely CM and likely never will be. But we use many of her methods because of the benefits they provide our children and help keep a love for learning in our home. I was not able to totally give up our math curriculum for purely CM math using Richele’s math DVD and handbook and Strayer Upton. Part of the reason is because we are at a higher math level: upper elementary and Jr high (pre algebra). But I have seen benefits of adapting our curriculum to CM methods. Some days math is more traditional pencil and paper. Some days are more CM with manipulatives, whiteboard and oral story problems. We keep making progress.
I have read the mathematics book and watched the DVD (many times). I have successfully implemented the methods with my youngest school-aged child. I have incorporated some of the methods to the MUS program. We attempted (and failed) using the methods with the Strayer Upton books. In the end, couldn’t keep up with planning and teaching 4 students successfully.
I recently read that we should go for the curriculum that gets done instead of the curriculum that we want. I have taken that to heart. We are currently using Christian Light, which is the opposite of CM, but it is getting done (every day! ) and my kids are doing well with it.
I think we should honestly consider whether or not our children are thriving with any program we use. I have one that does best with a procedural approach (as opposed to a conceptual approach). She gets frustrated trying to figure out how to do things on her own. She is doing very well with CLE.
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