WHAT SHOULD I DO!

[Shoe]

I think attitude change is priceless. I believe academic improvement will follow. My dd didn’t do that brilliantly in Term 1 when she was in P1 but because she was generally interested in learning, she picked up pace later on.

[Pen88n]

bigmomma123:

my girl is practising papers, learning short cuts but not conventional problem sums.. thats why while she counts faster, and does mental math much better, she still doesn't do well at problem sums.


in a conventional tuition center, she will be forced to practice problem sums, hence improve. this is a math enrichment center which aims to teach other things.. that's why.

Bigmomma123,

I can understand your dilemma. However, if you really sit down and analyse your gal's issue, it is actually very simple. She is doing foundation maths (to build the strong foundation of computation +-X/) at the Maths Monkey Centre you mentioned. However, at P4 now, she need to progress beyond foundation maths to problem solving. The centre is not equipping her with that skill.

The question you need to ask yourself is \"Is your girl's foundation in computing (calculating) good enough?\" so that you can stop the foundation building and move on to equip her with problem solving skills? Personally, I think this problem solving skill needs to start else you might face more issue in P5.

Hope this helps and good luck!

[Rabbit02]

Pen88n:

I can understand your dilemma. However, if you really sit down and analyse your gal's issue, it is actually very simple. She is doing foundation maths (to build the strong foundation of computation +-X/) at the Maths Monkey Centre you mentioned. However, at P4 now, she need to progress beyond foundation maths to problem solving. The centre is not equipping her with that skill.


The question you need to ask yourself is \"Is your girl's foundation in computing (calculating) good enough?\" so that you can stop the foundation building and move on to equip her with problem solving skills? Personally, I think this problem solving skill needs to start else you might face more issue in P5.

Hope this helps and good luck!

I disagree. Sometimes, problem solving is not about worksheet drilling offered by some tuition centres. It is about analytical ability and I think it can be developed without having to drill a child in this. It should not be looked upon separately.

[Pen88n]

Rabbit02:

I disagree. Sometimes, problem solving is not about worksheet drilling offered by some tuition centres. It is about analytical ability and I think it can be developed without having to drill a child in this. It should not be looked upon separately.

Rabbit02,

Please do not be mistaken. I've never at any point in time suggested drilling a kid with worksheet for problem solving. What I have suggested is to move the kid away from a centre that deals only with foundation maths (computing +-x/), to somewhere (be it a centre / individual tutor) that can equip the kid with problem solving skills.

I know Maths Monkey teaches Vedic Maths and their strength is in faster computation based on some properties of numbers. Whether it moves on to teach kids analystical skills for problem solving I'm not sure. In fact, drilling in Maths is never the way to go as it kills interest. It is only thru' understanding, analysing and tryingb out new ways that the kid will develop the love for doing Maths problems and achieve the satisfaction of being able to ultimately solve it.

[bigmomma123]

:celebrate: :celebrate: :celebrate:

[greenbean2011]

after listening to comments here, scared … so how to teach Maths fun or creative instead of drilling type, when young ?

[cimman]

if problem sum is the weak point, then you’ll have to check if Maths Monkey teaches analysis. There are different hueristics involved and student should be taught each of these methods and when to apply them. Maybe you can supplement Maths Monkey with another enrichment center, one that teaches hueristics. That way, you can have your cake and eat it. Only down side is that you’ll have twice a week session on maths and logistics issues. Travelling to and from tuition centers are so time consuming.

[cimman]

greenbean2011:

after listening to comments here, scared ... so how to teach Maths fun or creative instead of drilling type, when young ?

I think both have their places. Drilling type questions are good for laying a good foundation for calculations. Once you move on to problem sums, then analysis takes over. The strong foundation in calculations that was done earlier will help the child avoid careless mistakes in calculations.

[cimman]

Pen88n:

Rabbit02,


Please do not be mistaken. I've never at any point in time suggested drilling a kid with worksheet for problem solving. What I have suggested is to move the kid away from a centre that deals only with foundation maths (computing +-x/), to somewhere (be it a centre / individual tutor) that can equip the kid with problem solving skills.

I know Maths Monkey teaches Vedic Maths and their strength is in faster computation based on some properties of numbers. Whether it moves on to teach kids analystical skills for problem solving I'm not sure. In fact, drilling in Maths is never the way to go as it kills interest. It is only thru' understanding, analysing and tryingb out new ways that the kid will develop the love for doing Maths problems and achieve the satisfaction of being able to ultimately solve it.

yep, problem solving skills is not about drilling but on how to recognize the particular problem type and using the appropriate method for that category of problem. Within each problem category, there are several permutations that needs to be understood as well.

I had a look at Vedic Maths. While in theory, it does provide a fast calculation method, it does so only for a set of numbers that meets a specific criteria, ie. numbers close to a certain base, ie. 19 and 21, base 20. In practice, these rarely happens in problems. So the student has to go back to the old way of calculation. Not very useful for division, probably better for multiplication, which they have a method for widely differing numbers.

If your child is self motivated, you don't really need Maths Monkey, just get a book on Vedic maths and it is self explanatory. The SpeedMaths series by FanLing is very similar to Vedic Maths concepts.

I'll rather spend the money on a center that teaches heruistics. Problem solving skills are more complex and requires a teacher to impart the analysis skills. Calculations skills are more straight forward and can be self taught.

[Rabbit02]

[quote="cimman"I had a look at Vedic Maths. While in theory, it does provide a fast calculation method, it does so only for a set of numbers that meets a specific criteria, ie. numbers close to a certain base, ie. 19 and 21, base 20. In practice, these rarely happens in problems. So the student has to go back to the old way of calculation. Not very useful for division, probably better for multiplication, which they have a method for widely differing numbers.[/quote]


I read up on vedic math too and I think you missed the fundamental point about Vedic Math. On first glance, it seemed to be pure speed calculations, but on deeper reading, there is a logic and pattern in the calculations which will lead one to understand math concepts, patterns and relationship. I am not an expert here, but I think there is more to Vedic Math than just speed calculations.

Also, problem solving is not all about analysis. A child will not be able to come out with the addition/multiplication/fraction sentence if the foundation is weak. Therefore, building foundation is still critical.

Having said that, I suppose each centre including Math Monkey will be their own strengths depending on the child’s learning issue.

Lastly, reading a book is different from experiencing. Most children are not so patient to sit down to read a factual book. They may be able to read fictions but factual? kind of difficult…