Math. It's the bane of my homeschooling existence. Which is sorta odd, because I was just nerdy enough to be on the math team in high school. Yes, I really was.
Yet, in doing research on dyscalculia (learning disability in math), because I think one of my children may have a have mild form of it, I discovered that I too may have a mild form of it. I was able to compensate and I did just fine with higher math. In fact, oddly enough, I found calculus to be easier than long division. I still struggle with things like making change, calculating discounts, directions, motor sequencing, and puzzles. Yet I can do calculus just fine. My teachers all thought I was super good at math, because I could get A's in geometry and trigonometry and calculus...yet I struggle to figure out the change you get for something that cost $8.23 from $10.00. You figure it out. Actually I think it makes sense in a way, because higher math requires a different set of skills and thinking processes than arithmetic.
All that to say that I'm finding teaching 6th grade math to be a challenge. I feel I'm learning right along with my daughter. Sometimes I have to think for a minute or two, before I am able to explain something to her. And, sometimes we have to look up videos on Khan academy. Teaching math has actually improved my math skills quite a bit. I can now figure out change in my head (albeit slowly, but I can do it.)
Some people may not agree with labels, like dyscalculia, dyslexia, etc, but I find them useful. It's much kinder and more helpful to think that a person has dyscalculia (even if it's mild) than to think that they are lazy or stupid or just not trying hard enough. And, then once you realize there may be a problem, you can look for alternative ways to help them succeed.
Math instructional videos on Khan Academy have actually helped us quite a bit. I'm hoping to find a few more methods or tricks that might help us as well.
I took this photo with the page up to the window. You can see the writing on the back through the paper. I think it gives a neat effect.
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| Looks like someone needs to learn how to spell "quarter" |
And, this are my photos for theme thursday, answer.
