DC's careless math mistakes

[Anonymous]

10 y.o. DC makes a lot of careless math mistakes -- e.g., in a sheet of 20 problems of multiplying two and three-digit numbers -- DC got 8 wrong. There are enough right answers that I am confident that DC knows the concept and process. When I review, I find basic calculation errors (like 3 + 2 + 1 = 7) though DC has had all math facts memorized for years. I've repeatedly suggested that DC not rush and check the work but that isn't helping.

FWIW, DC has no similar issues in other subjects and has a very good attention span for reading, art, and other projects. DC's math teacher has occasionally notified me that DC doesn't seem to be getting something but when we work on it at home, the issue really seems to be carelessness.

Anyone else dealt with this? Is it developmental and we just need to give it time to self-correct? Or is there something we can do to help? TIA.

[Anonymous]

Op I think you are describing every 10 year old on the planet. Certainly mine is like this. I would love to read some helpful responses here

[Anonymous]

We're in the same boat here. And I feel like I am saying all the wrong things which are not helping (saying that he is being lazy!). Ugh. I'm a terrible Mother.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op I think you are describing every 10 year old on the planet. Certainly mine is like this. I would love to read some helpful responses here

I just laid into my 9 yr old DS for the same reason. He has a C in math for the very same reason. It doesn't help that every day's exit ticket in math only has 2 problems so he often gets a 50% on them for adding/subtracting/multiplying incorrectly.

[Anonymous]

Same situation here.

[Anonymous]

Here too and I ride my dc so much to no avail. I do feel terrible and yet I do it.

[Anonymous]

My kids did a math tutoring at Mathnasium in North Bethesda last summer (highly recommend it by the way). I overheard one of the tutors there telling kids, "I know you can do this fast, I can too, but I always check my work. No one gets them all right the first time without checking." Maybe, just keep pounding that message home without criticizing your kid.

He went on to describe how he used to chuckle at the people that would turn their math tests in before him because he knew they hadn't checked their work thoroughly.

[Anonymous]

My kids used to do that and one of the reasons was that their work was too messy for them to quickly check for mistakes. I have made them practice at home to do a neater job, making sure all steps are done in a systematic manner and adequate white space is left on the paper so that the numbers do not look cluttered and messy.

[Anonymous]

My kid's major struggle was with keeping her work neat enough to follow and check. I started having her do math homework on graph paper. It helped a bit.

[Anonymous]

What about incentivizing? E.g., I know you can do this. What I'm not sure you're doing is being careful. Being careful and checking your work is just as important as being "smart."

You might tell him something like, "FINISHING the work isn't good enough anymore. You need to check it and make sure you didn't miss something. This is basic stuff for any job you have, by the way, whether it's bagging groceries, taking an order at MacDonalds, or being president of the United States. So. Here's the deal. You earn X minutes of TV and computer time for getting your homework FINIASHED, and one additional minute (or whatever) for each problem you actually get CORRECT or complete according to the instructions. That's how it's going to work, buddy!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about incentivizing? E.g., I know you can do this. What I'm not sure you're doing is being careful. Being careful and checking your work is just as important as being "smart."

You might tell him something like, "FINISHING the work isn't good enough anymore. You need to check it and make sure you didn't miss something. This is basic stuff for any job you have, by the way, whether it's bagging groceries, taking an order at MacDonalds, or being president of the United States. So. Here's the deal. You earn X minutes of TV and computer time for getting your homework FINIASHED, and one additional minute (or whatever) for each problem you actually get CORRECT or complete according to the instructions. That's how it's going to work, buddy!"

PS: I'm doing this now for my 2nd grader. I write on the corner of each homework page what it's worth if it's FINISHED, and what it's worth if it's CORRECT. I'm still at the phase, though, where I check it with her and we correct any mistakes she understands. If she doesn't understand her mistake, I write a note to the teacher so she knows my DD is having trouble with a specific concept or procedure.

[Anonymous]

Fellow mom of a 10 yr old here who performs similarly in math. However, I have learned that in MCPS one stills gets a "P" even if he makes careless math errors - that is really teaching kids to check their work, don't you think (not).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids did a math tutoring at Mathnasium in North Bethesda last summer (highly recommend it by the way). I overheard one of the tutors there telling kids, "I know you can do this fast, I can too, but I always check my work. No one gets them all right the first time without checking." Maybe, just keep pounding that message home without criticizing your kid.

He went on to describe how he used to chuckle at the people that would turn their math tests in before him because he knew they hadn't checked their work thoroughly.

Wow.

[Anonymous]

Sometimes when there is too much homework the child begins to rush through it and make careless errors because it begins to feel like there is no more "mental zing" left when you get the right answer. The child has mastered the skill and reinforced it and is bored. A sheet of twenty simple multiplication problems can be too much.

Start with five or 10. Have your child take a break.

[Anonymous]

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.