tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657912610170806601.post2823534358843316326..comments2023-10-19T06:42:07.648-05:00Comments on Banter of a Blond Republican Couple: Brain dump on Arithmetic Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03558069223334537518noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657912610170806601.post-64416881079342442942013-03-27T09:31:42.775-05:002013-03-27T09:31:42.775-05:00Still not sure what mastery means other than the p...Still not sure what mastery means other than the public school definition which I never could figure out how to implement. Oh well, probably won't affect how my kids do home schooling.<br /><br />Interesting article about how difficult it is to overcome an early deficit in number sense and what parents can do to help their preschoolers.<br /><br />Math Skills: What Scientists Can Teach Parents About Kids' Developing Minds: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/25/math-skills-first-grade-number-sense_n_2950383.html?utm_hp_ref=twAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657912610170806601.post-21510171787376266392013-03-25T20:11:59.050-05:002013-03-25T20:11:59.050-05:00That's my definition of spiral too. You learn ...That's my definition of spiral too. You learn part of a concept, practice it but keep reviewing it and other topics but later on down the line, you spiral back and add to it.<br /><br /> I've always heard Mastery to mean that you work on one specific topic, master it, then move on to another. I've heard others (probably spiral fans since nobody wants to be known as "anti-mastery") refer to it as sequential too but more commonly mastery. I'd never experienced that until college and was not really impressed (although to be fair, I'm not sure any method of teaching would have made Math 141 impressive but BIMS wouldn't let me go up to a higher math despite my already having taken calculus - stupid BIMS department!)<br /><br />But interestingly enough, I did a quick google to see if I was using the terms correctly and on three different lists, I saw Singapore listed as three different things (one put it as a mix of spiral and mastery) and Saxon as two (spiral and mix). So apparently the difference is often in the eye of the beholder! <br /><br />I'll try to post some of the education blogs I read soonish.MacKenziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04018963981535476477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657912610170806601.post-6329606063774931182013-03-25T17:01:00.393-05:002013-03-25T17:01:00.393-05:00I'm not sure if we are using "spiral curr...I'm not sure if we are using "spiral curriculum" in the same way. I'm referring to the Asian model of reintroducing topics again and again at a different level each time. For example, instead of having a course titled "algebra," students get sections on algebra spread out over many years with each one progressively harder.<br /><br />I'm also not sure what you mean by mastery. What definitions are you using for mastery and spiral?<br /><br />The main thing I appreciated about Singapore was that students were shown just a few examples and then expected to extrapolate how to solve very different problems with the basic information. I loved watching the gears turn in my students until the solution clicked.<br /><br />Which school blogs are you reading? I haven't really explored that topic much because I'm afraid I'll end up even more opinionated and obnoxious about education. ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657912610170806601.post-7199354629082972682013-03-24T10:18:50.216-05:002013-03-24T10:18:50.216-05:00I'm so excited your kids are going there, I wi...I'm so excited your kids are going there, I will definitely be picking your brain come fall.MacKenziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04018963981535476477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657912610170806601.post-60780817569576263552013-03-22T10:17:51.682-05:002013-03-22T10:17:51.682-05:00The CM school my younger two are attending beginni...The CM school my younger two are attending beginning in the fall uses Right Start Math. From what I have seen, I am a fan. I've been using some of the ideas at home already with E about grouping to get to 10.The Hickelshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00030679562929240149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657912610170806601.post-14376286680288770862013-03-21T10:28:05.945-05:002013-03-21T10:28:05.945-05:00I tried to tuned it out for a while but now that i...I tried to tuned it out for a while but now that it appears to be affecting homeschoolers, I can't seem to avoid it. It's all over my favorite blogs! <br /><br />Is Singapore considered a spiral curriculumn? I had always heard it was more on the mastery side but perhaps that is only in relation to Saxon which is probably as far on the spiral side of the scale as you can get. <br /><br />I understand that temptation. I'm less enthused about lower level Saxon (although I have enough experience with it as a recurring sub that I feel like I could easily change the real negatives as a homeschooler (remove practice questions when I see my kid doesn't need them, edit "the meeting," ignore the script). I go back and forth about which and they all sound good - and bad. It will be interesting to see what I end up with :-)MacKenziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04018963981535476477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657912610170806601.post-70601631905759121822013-03-20T15:58:08.958-05:002013-03-20T15:58:08.958-05:00I haven't read anything about the Common Core ...I haven't read anything about the Common Core because I don't need something else to be frustrated about. I know from the education I did (and did not) receive training to be a mathematics teacher that anything influenced by the National Counsel of Teachers of Mathematics and other teacher unions is going to be a mess.<br /><br />My most consistent frustration teaching high school algebra and geometry was that the kids had no idea how numbers really worked. How in the world can I teach the segment addition postulate when students don't recognize that 2+1=3 without the help of their calculator? And forget trying to do it with x and y! I had students that couldn't tell me the basic identities without, again, a calculator. I think it worth mentioning at this point that all this calculator dependency was not only condoned by NCTM but actually advocated. Why waste time memorizing math facts? Just go straight the higher level reasoning.<br /><br />Stepping off soap box. Zuzu has just started counting everything, so I'm really excited about reading these resources. When she starts school, I'm tempted to use two or three curricula because I know the strengths and weaknesses of each, but we'll probably use Singapore with supplemental drills, if needed. The students at my private school have an excellent understanding of math concepts thanks to Singapores spiral approach and lack of hand holding.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com