Reply to Is there a downside to doing a little bit of supplementing at home? (mostly math question)

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We had a few teachers in grade school get upset with us for teaching our kid the times tables up through 12 until they knew them cold. Flash cards, just randomly saying, "Hey, what's 3 x 3?" 9! And on and on. Kid started third grade knowing the times tables.

The teachers teaching New Math were upset. They couldn't get our kid to draw the math anymore. Our kid would write the answer on the page and circle it. Our kid said why are you making me draw 4 x 4 when I already know the answer is 16? I'm bored with this. Kid would get 50% of a math test when the answers were all correct but got 50% taken off because weren't 16 pineapples drawn to represent the answer. Also, kid finished the math test in two minutes.

Went to a meeting where the FCPS math curriculum person said that the parents who were teaching times tables were "damaging" their child's ability to learn math.

Have fun, OP. [/quote]

Op here. This is the kind I mean. I know some use the frames, then there is repeated addition, drawing out groups for multiplication… My kid has started saying “What’s 3 times 5? 15!” “What’s 11 times 0? 0!” And asking about other math concepts. I don’t want to discourage him but don’t want to put him at a disadvantage for what will happen in the classroom, either. [/quote]

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.

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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? [/quote]

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.

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