I was a whiz at teaching my homeschooled kids math until about the 4th grade. I never, ever followed a textbook. I just looked at the problem, grabbed a pencil and paper, worked it out, and they explained the process (also called algorithms) to the child. As the math got more challenging however, I began to develop an issue. When looking at the math problem did not result in my remembering how to solve it, I would turn to the textbook. This only made problems worse.
For the last few years, I have been walking around thinking that I had become inept at math. After realizing I had slowed down my son’s progress, I hired a tutor, and he is doing fine. I however have been worried… about my own intelligence or lack of. Looking at his assignment papers, gave me no recollection of anything relating to math. Infact, it surely looked like Greek.
I have recently, however spent some time investigating the state of math. What I have found is that it had evolved to the point that it is unrecognizable from what I was taught 25-30 years ago. Algorisms are no longer taught. Children are instructed to reason out math instead of applying time-tested methods of solving problems. The math my kids are doing today looks nothing like the math I did in the early 1980’s. This is why I have been unable to assist my kids in math. I never learned these new and interesting ways of doing math.
With this realization made, I have some suggestions for parents attempting to teach fourth graders and up math.
- Find and use old textbooks. Go to thrift stores, or search online for math books used the years you were in school. Following these books will not only teach your child the classic way of solving problems, but it will allow you to recall the math yourself and help them.
- Look into Singapore math. Apparently, according to a report on math I found online, Singapore math is the same as American Math from a few years ago.
- To ensure your child knows the current way of doing the problems, but to help them make sense of it, take a current textbook and an old textbook and spend some time making comparisons. Refresh yourself on the old way of doing math, and with that knowledge under your belt, teach yourself the new way. (You may want to spend some time with a tutor yourself to help you make sense of it) When it comes time to teach the math to your child, you can use the new way of doing the math, but have them always check their math using the older, classic versions.
Read this story that tells about a parents struggle with new math.
*Have a question about homeschooling? Just ask.
*Want to know more about homeschooling? Start with the 2006 homeschool blog in review!