Is there a downside to doing a little bit of supplementing at home? (mostly math question)
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Anonymous
No no no. I told both my kids to read the question and answer it. Following directions is a HUGE part of academics, OP and PP. You do NOT just blurt out the answer, you have to show your work, and show it the way the curriculum wants you to. Don't think this is dumb! That's the way AP courses work, and it's the only way to get a 5/5 on the exams! Understanding what a question is really asking, in which context, is a CRITICAL skill that will serve them well all throughout their school and college career, and beyond. It's not a math skill - it's a reading comprehension and social communication skill. Math content cannot be separated from human communication. |
Anonymous
OP here. Just because he likes it and asks for it at home. So far I’ve just given him some number coloring pages and simple math coloring work. He isn’t interested in learning music but enjoys performances so I’ve been taking him to piano concerts. He does take a sport and chess. |
Anonymous
OP here. Yes this is the kind of thing I mean. I'd be worried about potentially teaching him the "wrong" way to do it compared to how they learn in class. Mathematically correct, but maybe not how the teacher teaches it. Or is this nothing to worry about as long as we vary the materials and remind DS to follow class directions? |
Anonymous
I haven't heard of kids who take Kumon or Russian Math School running into issues at school, but maybe I'm just not paying attention. |
Anonymous
NP I am Indian American and I will not be doing any of that crap. We send to a good private that uses Singapore math. If Vedic/AOPS/Beast have different content than their school curriculum I will offer it. But I am not going to push acceleration. |
Anonymous
PP you replied to. There is no wrong way... unless it's mathematically wrong! I have a 12th and 7th grader, and supplemented both when they were in elementary, one for remedial purposes, the other for acceleration. There has never been a problem. I lived in several countries as a child and had to deal with very different math curriculae (in different languages to boot). None were ever a problem. If you teach your kids a different method, it's great! They have to understand that there are often several ways to arrive at the correct answer, and that at school, you have to use the teacher's way. It's really not difficult to get! It's like if you're a bilingual household, and at home you speak one language, and another at school. My kids speak my language at home, and English at school or with their friends. This question often comes up on DCUM - perhaps because a lot of posters are not themselves mathematically inclined. I'm not sure. But math is not this big scary thing! Mental flexibility is easy for kids. Please trust their abilities. |
Anonymous
Cocky Indian |
Anonymous
I'm a parent who has supplemented three very different kids. I think that if a kid needs remediation, there's always a benefit to that. I think there is always a benefit to going broad with a kid who is interested and asking for it. So, doing things like Beast Academy on his grade level, or Singapore Word Problems Challenging Word Problems, or looking at problems from Math Kangaroo, or exploring geometry with manipulatives, or playing games like Dragonbox. I think there are both benefits and downsides of going ahead. Some kids are pushing for it. One of my kids was desperate to go as fast as possible. But it makes school even more boring, because nothing is new. Also, kids who are going to make careers related to math are going to need as much breadth as possible so if going ahead means sacrificing breadth don't make that choice. So, I'd say it makes sense for one kid, and not my other kid who was satisfied with breadth. I'll also say that my kid for whom we just went broad, he easily skipped a couple years once he got to middle school and there were options for levels. So, going broad still meant that he ended up in the most advanced option. |
Anonymous
DP. That PP is a smart American. |
Anonymous
No way other Indian way cockier |
Anonymous
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No he doesn’t need a home curriculum. Home should not also be school. What you should be doing is teaching him in a real and natural way to foster both his curiosity and understand the tangible application of math or reading. For the math, count things while you are cooking, when you cut the tomatoes, count how many pieces you made from 3 tomatoes. Throw rocks into the lake and count how many you have left after each toss, how many he has if he gives you half, or 1/3 of his rocks. As for the reading, just read, read, read to him. Talk about what you are reading. Ask his idea and opinions on what you are reading. Read signs when you are out. Do a volcano science experiment.
The goal shouldn’t be to cram as much I formation into hsi brain as you can but to create a framework for knowledge and it’s application. You want to create someone who wants to learn and explore not just a box of information. He will be both more successful, more confident and more fulfilled this way. |
Anonymous
| OP here. For reading we are working out of a text. But for math I meant more what the “broad” PP mentioned. Regular home activities like baking or food prep, but also grouping activities to talk about arrays and maybe multiplication concepts eventually. Maybe reading some fun kid oriented math stories. This would not be a full curriculum or text. |
Anonymous
| Nope. I’ve supplemented with worksheets, games, and educational art projects since DD was 3. She’s only 6 now but the work has been worth it to ensure she is ready to learn, is challenged by harder material, and has fun learning. Her pre-k, k, and now first grade teachers have all said she has been ahead of the game with the curriculum and also the ability to sit quietly, do her work, and do so completely. Who knows long term but for now I call this a win. |
Anonymous
There are times and places for requiring a certain way to do something but sometimes it's insane. Multiplication tables should be down cold by upper elementary and making a kid draw 16 pineapples is stupid busy-work. Solving something with "guess and check" when you know how to solve it algebraically is stupid busy-work. Sometimes the teacher doesn't know the subject well enough to be comfortable with other approaches but in general, if a kid demonstrates mastery of a skill there an exercise is building up towards, it seems perverse for them to be penalized for it. |
Anonymous
| The downside is that your kid needs a childhood and lots of outdoor play (not organized activities, just free outdoor play) and every hour of Kumon is depriving them of that. |