Algebra in 6th grade - new selection process?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m grateful for this opportunity. My “I hate school” child looks forward to going to school this year for the first time ever, because they are finally learning something new. I just wish the roll out had been better and teachers actually had a full curriculum to teach from.

So they already knew 5th grade math in K? They've never learned anything new in math in school? Then where are they learning it?

The kids who learn math concepts the first time they are introduced are bored to tears in math in ES. They are the kids who don't need the 2-3 other ways to visualize the concept, and they don't need to have the class material summarized for weeks on end. Other kids do, that is why they teach 3-4 methods for visualizing the concept because not every kid can do math in their head.

The only math concept that was mind blowing for my kid that was introduced to at school was in LIII were bases and the Teacher didn't even label it in the class. DS came home excitedly talking about how they did math using base 3, only he described it with examples from class. I said "Oh, you were using base 3." My son was confucsed, my husband jumped in and gave him examples in base 4-9. After that, DS spent a week coming up with math problems that required switching from one base to another to answer the questions. He had a blast.

Yes, we enrolled DS in AoPS, and then moved to RSM because it was closer, after that. He was so excited to learn a new math concept, it was fun to watch. He loves the math competition class and the problems that they do in that class. He loves discussing the different solutions and breaking the problems a part. School math remained boring but he was learning new skills and more challenging skills at RSM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m grateful for this opportunity. My “I hate school” child looks forward to going to school this year for the first time ever, because they are finally learning something new. I just wish the roll out had been better and teachers actually had a full curriculum to teach from.

So they already knew 5th grade math in K? They've never learned anything new in math in school? Then where are they learning it?

The kids who learn math concepts the first time they are introduced are bored to tears in math in ES. They are the kids who don't need the 2-3 other ways to visualize the concept, and they don't need to have the class material summarized for weeks on end. Other kids do, that is why they teach 3-4 methods for visualizing the concept because not every kid can do math in their head.

The only math concept that was mind blowing for my kid that was introduced to at school was in LIII were bases and the Teacher didn't even label it in the class. DS came home excitedly talking about how they did math using base 3, only he described it with examples from class. I said "Oh, you were using base 3." My son was confucsed, my husband jumped in and gave him examples in base 4-9. After that, DS spent a week coming up with math problems that required switching from one base to another to answer the questions. He had a blast.

Yes, we enrolled DS in AoPS, and then moved to RSM because it was closer, after that. He was so excited to learn a new math concept, it was fun to watch. He loves the math competition class and the problems that they do in that class. He loves discussing the different solutions and breaking the problems a part. School math remained boring but he was learning new skills and more challenging skills at RSM.

So he didn't learn anything "new" in school because you did out of school enrichment. He was learning "new" stuff previously, just not at a pace that you were happy with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m grateful for this opportunity. My “I hate school” child looks forward to going to school this year for the first time ever, because they are finally learning something new. I just wish the roll out had been better and teachers actually had a full curriculum to teach from.

So they already knew 5th grade math in K? They've never learned anything new in math in school? Then where are they learning it?

The kids who learn math concepts the first time they are introduced are bored to tears in math in ES. They are the kids who don't need the 2-3 other ways to visualize the concept, and they don't need to have the class material summarized for weeks on end. Other kids do, that is why they teach 3-4 methods for visualizing the concept because not every kid can do math in their head.

The only math concept that was mind blowing for my kid that was introduced to at school was in LIII were bases and the Teacher didn't even label it in the class. DS came home excitedly talking about how they did math using base 3, only he described it with examples from class. I said "Oh, you were using base 3." My son was confucsed, my husband jumped in and gave him examples in base 4-9. After that, DS spent a week coming up with math problems that required switching from one base to another to answer the questions. He had a blast.

Yes, we enrolled DS in AoPS, and then moved to RSM because it was closer, after that. He was so excited to learn a new math concept, it was fun to watch. He loves the math competition class and the problems that they do in that class. He loves discussing the different solutions and breaking the problems a part. School math remained boring but he was learning new skills and more challenging skills at RSM.

Your kid had sabretooth parents who taught him math way ahead of school. Then you complain school is boring. This is not advanced, this is just accelerated.

[Anonymous]

I’m the one who said my kid is finally learning something new.

We’ve never done enrichment math class or summer workbooks. He picks stuff up with a single example the first time. “Here’s how you multiple 2 digit by 2 digit numbers.”

Okay, then the next 3 years of math are basically just review because they introduce 2 digit by 3 digit, 2 digit by 2 digit with decimals, 2 digit by 3 digit with decimals, etc. If a student understands what they are doing, introducing decimals to multiplication is a quick side note, not a week of lessons and practice.

So sure, there is 10 minutes of learning, and then 2 weeks each of the following years where it is repetitive.

Same thing with fractions. He’s literally been adding and subtracting unlike denominators since Montessori kindergarten with little manipulatives. Every year they add a small additional layer, but to a kid who understands the concept of fractions it’s not new, it’s just a variation on the skill he is already fluent in.

So yes, “he learned nothing” is hyperbole. But really, its been review each year since joining AAP in 3rd grade. (I don’t know if anything better/more appropriate since I can’t/wont homeschool, so I never complained…I was just really grateful when this pilot rolled out and we could forgo another year of spiraling old topics.)