DC's careless math mistakes

[Anonymous]

Calculation errors have been the difference between an A and a B+ for my 12 yo this school year. She's frustrated with the B+ because she gets all As in other subjects, and seems to FINALLY be absorbing the message to double-check work.

[Anonymous]

OP - Honestly. Do you think you have the pedagological skill to distinguish carelessness from "doesn't really get it"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - Honestly. Do you think you have the pedagological skill to distinguish carelessness from "doesn't really get it"?

Not the OP, but I think I can most of the time. E.g., if she can't seem to set up the problem or represent it in some way, if she can't figure out ir explain why, then I'm guessing its a conceptual thing. Also, I see my kid can do certain computations tasks just fine if she's careful and pays attention, so in that case I know adding and subtracting isn't the problem. If she can represent multiplication and division using picture, etc but she gets the problems wrong, I know her conceptual understanding is good, but she lacks practice and automaticity w her math facts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - Honestly. Do you think you have the pedagological skill to distinguish carelessness from "doesn't really get it"?

Not PP, but yes. It's not rocket science. In fact, in my experience many math teachers don't have a lot of skill, although some are wonderful. It seems to be a very uneven field.

On a related note, do you think you have the orthographic skill to spell pedagogical correctly?

[Anonymous]

Understanding and Mastery are different. Math errors like this means the student is not getting enough practice. Practice is boring but necessary. It's the difference between passing to the next level and excelling. It's probably not something a parent can insist on always - at some point it's up to the student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - Honestly. Do you think you have the pedagological skill to distinguish carelessness from "doesn't really get it"?

Not PP, but yes. It's not rocket science. In fact, in my experience many math teachers don't have a lot of skill, although some are wonderful. It seems to be a very uneven field.

On a related note, do you think you have the orthographic skill to spell pedagogical correctly?

Hey. I wasn't trying to be a snot, and no, I am not good at spelling. I do know that there is much more to math instruction than we think, and accurate computation methods are a challenge for many children. If you want to see changes in your child, you probably should reflect a bit on what you observe and what you do. Otherwise you are just ranting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a computational physicist. I did this when 1 was young. it is really more important to understand the concepts. The ability to do algebra and calculus are not dependent on the ability to add or subtract large numbers, it is beaded on the mathematical properties, which also apply to addition.

I had a big fight with DD's 5th grade teacher over this.... She made my DD think she was not good at math. It has taken two years to get her confidence back.

Great insight pp! Thanks for sharing! What would you recommend for a situation like this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Understanding and mastery are different.

I'm not sure that's right.

Anonymous wrote:Math errors like this mean the student is not getting enough practice.

Or it means they are bored, or it suggests attention issues, or it means that they have way too many problems and the kid's concentration broke down two pages ago.

[Anonymous]

"Checking" homework is a skill set like everything else. When my DS would tell me he was done with his homework and had checked it, I would counter with: "Would you bet your TV time on it"? Quickly, he would grab the paper and re-check again!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a computational physicist. I did this when 1 was young. it is really more important to understand the concepts. The ability to do algebra and calculus are not dependent on the ability to add or subtract large numbers, it is beaded on the mathematical properties, which also apply to addition.

I had a big fight with DD's 5th grade teacher over this.... She made my DD think she was not good at math. It has taken two years to get her confidence back.

I agree but also disagree with the bolded. Certainly understanding the concepts and big-picture is more important than answering a single question correctly. However, it is an important skill to double check your work and slow down a bit instead of focusing on "just getting it done". That kind of skill goes beyond comprehension of math concepts and is an important life skill.

[Anonymous]

Kumon will fix this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kumon will fix this.

No, it won't. My son has been going there for the last 5 years and he still makes careless mistakes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Checking" homework is a skill set like everything else. When my DS would tell me he was done with his homework and had checked it, I would counter with: "Would you bet your TV time on it"? Quickly, he would grab the paper and re-check again!

I like this!

[Anonymous]

My 5th grade DS can be the same.
This school year, for his first math test, I told him I would "make it worth his while" if he went through the whole test twice, to check his answers. And, I told him he should NOT be the first to finish!
It was kind of a joke between us because I was so purposely vague/mysterious about what that meant. It has just become a running joke. I don't expect him to score perfectly or even really value the checking of his work intrinsically right now. He just does it to humor ol' mom. Maybe I get him an iTunes song, pack of football cards or something. Totally on the honor system as to whether he checked his work on a test.

Basically, I agree with the person who said to incentivize the habit of checking your work. I don't lecture or try to seriously convice DS on the value of it--I just don't think that is the way to get to the goal right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Checking" homework is a skill set like everything else. When my DS would tell me he was done with his homework and had checked it, I would counter with: "Would you bet your TV time on it"? Quickly, he would grab the paper and re-check again!

Love this and going to use this, thanks!