Trying to transform to CM: HeLp

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  • JavaMama
    Member

    Oh I need some good advice, I have begun to learn the CM method/style of education/life and I am liberated to the point of don’t dare mention anything about homeschooling to me or I am just going to spew all of this amazing information onto to you and for me I have a very difficult time processing a lot of information and then applying it. Currently we are just a regular little homeschooling family that follows the Well Trained Mind method and where I am struggling is to understand CM and transform our direction of education. I mean I understand CM to an extent but I just don’t know how to begin transforming our subjects or where…. for example we do Horizon for math, can we continue with it and still be CM directed or should I be looking into other ways for our math lessons? That is where I am confused. I really hope that I am making some sense here :0). If you have any idea as to what I am talking about please offer your opinion…. I would so appreciate it! Thanks!

    JOYfully in Him,

    Kelli @ http://www.growingmindsofwisdom.blogspot.com

    Bren
    Member

    Hello. I am new to posting here and also new to the CM method. We also currently use Horizons Math for my first grade son and have been enjoying it. Recently, tho, we have hit a brick wall with learning addition and subtraction facts. While working with Andrew to learn these facts, I’m wondering if I’m expecting too much from a first grader. We are trying to learn all the math facts up to and including 9+9=18 and 18-9=9, and he really does very well, as long as he uses a number line or his fingers. (Sometimes he counts in his head, too.) Horizons initially provides a number line with the worksheet problems, but after several lessons, the number line is not included, and Andrew uses his fingers to complete his problems. His answers are almost always correct, but my teachers’ manual suggests that the student should just know the answer without finger counting, due to daily flash cards and drills.

    We do use daily drills and flash cards, but the flash cards have become kind of dull. I’ve started trying a different approach, such as memorizing doubles, and then working from there, such as 5+5=10, so 5+6=11. He does well with this as long as I ask him the pairs together. If I ask him 5+6 independently, he can’t give me the answer unless he counts it out. I have a feeling that this approach will eventually click with him if we keep working on it consistently. But then I run into the problem that there doesn’t seem to be any tricks to learning something like 8+5 or 6+8, etc. I’ve tried explaining to him the tricks I use to add nine to a number, (9+6, 9+5, etc.) but he just doesn’t get it, even when I use manipulatives to show him. That’s when I start wondering if I’m expecting too much from a 7 year old.

    Andrew has always impressed me with his grasp of math concepts, but I don’t want to cause him to lose interest by pushing him too hard. Can anyone give me any idea of what can be expected from an average first grader? Or do you have other “tricks” for remembering addition and subtraction facts? What would be the CM method for teaching this?

    I will greatly appreciate any help that you can offer. This forum is always very helpful!!

    With much thanks,

    Brenda

    Bren
    Member

    I think that I may have discovered the answer to my own question. It is based off of “The Three Period Lesson” as described in Karen Andreola’s Charlotte Mason Companion. I’ll describe my idea — maybe it will be of help to Kelli as well. Period One – Naming: While my son works on creating/coloring his own flash card for 8+5=13, we discuss this math fact and use manipulatives to reinforce it. We’ll repeat this lesson as necessary with different manipulatives. Period Two – Recognition: Which math fact is correct? 8+5=14 OR 8+5=13? We’ll then repeat the first lesson again if needed. Period Three – Pronunciation: What does 8+5 equal? If more work is needed on this math fact, we’ll go back and do more Period One and Two lessons.

    Maybe my application of this three period lesson isn’t quite right, or someone else may have a better idea of how to go about it. But for now, I’m excited about this new math plan, and I can hardly wait to try it out on Monday morning!!

    Thanks for listening,

    Brenda

    JavaMama
    Member

    Brenda thanks for your replies! I have run into the same exact problem with my 7 year old! I have just quit with the flash cards because of their “sucking” the joy out of learning and just allowed him to continue using his head in figuring the problems out. I have heard of some having theirs copy their math fact eliminating the guess work of flash cards and instilling the picture of the math fact in their mind, I guess a form of what you are talking about, I love that idea by the way. Can you tell me if this is done over 3 days or one day with each fact or more than one? Details are needed I have not read that book by Andreola yet though it is on my wish list. Thanks again!!

    So basicallly though I can adapt Horizons to a more CM style?

    JOYfully in Him,

    Kelli

    Sonya Shafer
    Moderator

    Brenda and Kelli,

    Charlotte doesn’t say a whole lot about math in her writings. The main points I’ve discovered are

    • using manipulatives to teach the concepts. She emphasized that younger children should be taught math concepts naturally with household items before they ever see the symbols that stand for the items.
    • making sure the child understands why he should multiply in this situation or add in that situation. So a thorough understanding of “why” is a key principle. One way to make sure your child understands “why” is to have him teach the lesson to you. It’s a great kind of narration.
    • and, of course, her emphasis on short lessons for younger children would apply. Most math textbooks are not built around 15-minute lessons. So you can adapt by (1) breaking down a lesson into two or three smaller sections done either at various times throughout one day or done on subsequent days; (2) assigning only the odd- or only the even-numbered practice exercises; (3) just picking up where you left off last time and going until the timer beeps. These shorter lessons will help your child develop the habit of full attention, which can then be stretched little by little over the years. But short lessons first will help build that foundation because the lesson will be over before he loses attention.

    One thing we have enjoyed over the years is using math card games to reinforce facts in a fun way without the pressure and boredom of flash cards. RightStart math has a great kit of math card games that you can use to supplement any curriculum. Looks like they have broken down the different sections of the full kit into smaller sets that are less expensive too. So you could get just the Addition games or just the Multiplication games.

    You could also check out the ideas on this math thread.

    Hope this helps!

    Sonya Shafer
    Moderator

    Kelli, what other areas are you pondering how to make the transition?

    JavaMama
    Member

    I am really trying to understand how to use both the Classical Education while implementing a lot of the Charlotte Mason Approach, but I am finding it a little difficult with out compromising to much on either side. But the more I read the more I understand and slowly I am realizing how to combine the two in harmony. Math was my biggest area because I am content with Horizons and really didn’t want to switch curriculums but also I am sorting through these areas: Science, Spelling and Grammar, and I know how CM felt about Grammar but I am trying to like I said bring two approaches to harmony and I am not sure if it is possible with this area of grammar. They seem to be on two different sides of the spectrum. Have any more advice? :0)

    JOYfully in Him,

    Kelli

    Bren
    Member

    Kelli,

    We also started our homeschool with the classical approach, but I have since become interested in Charlotte Mason’s methods, so I am also trying to blend the two approaches.

    Here are a couple other ideas that might help you. A teacher friend told me about this website yesterday: coolmath4kids.com This is where I found flash cards to be printed and colored by your child while they repeat the math fact. In their words, “This will connect their right and left brains to help them really remember these things! It will give them visual reinforcement, make them take the time to think about each one (while they are coloring) and it will give them a feeling of ownership to the cards — and to the math.”

    I also found this link on the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival: thecookfamilyzoo.blogspot.com/2008/02/three-period-lesson.html This website describes the Three Period Lesson which I mentioned earlier. I think that it was intended for teaching colors, shapes, letters, numbers, etc., but this website shows that you can modify the lessons for just about anything that you want to teach. It has even inspired me to make a few changes to our spelling lessons. I believe that this website also has a link to a Living Math! website which gives great ideas for some fun math games.

    Since I haven’t actually tried my idea yet, I’m not exactly sure how it will all work out. While my son is working on 8+5, I’ll probably also have him work on 5+8. Depending on how that goes, we might include 13-8 and 13-5 also. It might take a few days to get through those four facts, but we probably won’t move on to another set of facts until he knows the first set.

    There is something else that we have tried in our math lessons, and I suppose this to be a CM method. If there seems to be too much writing on a worksheet, then I just have my son complete the problems with me orally and mark it as so on the worksheet.

    I also like Sonya’s idea of setting the timer and working on the lesson until it beeps. Then we’ll pick up the next day where we left off. This means that we’ll just continue math lessons throughout the summer — which is okay with me since it will keep those concepts fresh in his mind.

    I have also been quite content with Horizons Math, and I am thankful to find ways to adapt this math program to a CM style.

    I hope this helps.

    Brenda

    Sonya Shafer
    Moderator

    Yes, I think Grammar is one of the big “difference” areas. I’m not positive how Classical does Science or Spelling, but I can clarify how CM does them and maybe that will help you figure out the rest 🙂

    Science is taught with a combination of nature study, living books, and projects or experiments. Here’s a link to a series we did on nature study that should help with that part. There are also some good threads on the Science part of this forum that might give you more ideas.

    For Spelling, Charlotte used prepared dictation (not cold-turkey dictation). Here are a couple of discussions from this forum about Dictation. You might also download the free sample of Spelling Wisdom; the Introduction in that sample goes into detail about the method.

    Maybe someone who has combined Classical with CM can chime in here . . .

    Bookworm
    Participant

    One thing we must think about carefully when discussing Charlotte Mason and “classical” education is what exactly is meant by “classical education” Do we mean The Well-Trained Mind? Or what educators actually did centuries ago? (They did not use The Well-Trained Mind, lol) There are actually sort of two different traditions running through this—a virtue-based, language-rich tradition coming down to us from centuries past, in which Charlotte Mason’s ideas can fit, and the modern, post-Dorothy Sayers “three stages” thing, in which it seems to me Charlotte Mason’s ideas do not mesh as well.

    A thing that I have found useful when struggling through this myself (I, too, began my homeschooling thinking of myself as a “classical educator”) are these:

    1) What is this learning philosophy’s view of the child? Who is the child? Is he a complete person, or is he an incomplete person into whose head we must pour knowledge so that he can become complete? What is the role of the personality of the child? Is it sacred? By what means may we attempt to educate him? Or are all children basically alike, we simply “program” in the correct knowledge, flip the appropriate switches, and the child becomes educated?

    2) What exactly is education? Is it coming to know what everyone else knows? Is it the ability to give great speeches? Is it forming relationships with many things? What exactly is knowledge? Is it just stuff in a child’s head—facts, like grammar rules and memorized lists of Russian czars? Or is it the things which we feel we know or have kinship with, the things we care about, the virtue of our actions, all mixed up together?

    3) What is the role of the teacher? Is the teacher a dispenser of head facts–dial in the correct “stage” and the teacher spills info into the student? Or is the teacher a guide, preparing a banquet and helping the child to choose well, guiding by setting guardrails around the child and then letting him choose for himself which of the many items in the banquet he must have?

    I know that as I struggled to work through all of this, I was helped immensely by a number of writings of Karen Glass. I don’t know exactly the rules of “posting” things but I can help anyone interested who wants to find these writings if you email me. I also was helped by closely observing my child(ren) and then trying to match up what I saw with these two “educationviews” and this affected the choices I made about things like grammar and other areas of difference.

    Well, I could go on all day but I’d likely bore you all to tears. LOL

    Michelle D

    Sonya Shafer
    Moderator

    Excellent, helpful thoughts, Michelle. Thank you!

    (Moderator’s Note: The posting guidelines for the SCM Forum are “link to anything that you recommend and that will help our CM community!” The only exception is that Ambleside Online has requested that no one link to their site without permission and then, you may link only to their home page; we must honor their wishes.)

    JavaMama
    Member

    Michell D, thank you for your honest and thorough reply! What great questions to examine your thoughts with. If you have anything else on your heart to share from your own experience I am eager over hear with listening ears. I agree with the view on “classical” education and have been realizing for myself this truth. I have been some what refering to TWTM but after some research I am refering to classical education in the “virtue-based, language-rich tradition coming down to us from centuries past” as you said not the Dorothy-Sayers so much.

    Thanks again for your response! I am going to think through your questions.

    JOYfully in Him,

    Kelli

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