My dd's teacher makes me want to SCREAM

[luvmyfam444]

AT HER!!! As you know we've been struggling a bit in math -actually got her midterm grades to day & she has a D (1pt from a C) anyway -the reason her grades are so poor is that she fails the speed tests that are given twice a week--these are when she's given a wksh of 25 problems & has 1 min to do them (all either add/subt) so she regualry fails these since she can't do them in her head.

The teach sent a not last Fri on the failed speed test to my daughter that said "I know you can do better than this if you just use flashcards" NOW knowing that not was not even seen by dd 'cause it juse gets thrown in the folder w/all the other papers---so I sent a note back to teach & told her thanks for her comment but we DO use flashcards & play computer games---we DON"T use paper flashcards - dd has a game that is electronic flashcards the problem pops up she has to type the answer & it times her - granted we don't do it nightly (that would help I know)

ANYWAY teacher writes back saying we SHOULD use old fashioned flashcards cause that's the only way & WOULD YOU BELIEVE that TODAY she had the NERVE to tell dd that her Math Wiz (the electonic thingy) isn't helping her & she shouldn't be using it!?!?!?!?

WHAT happened to being postive to my child??? Why do we have to ONLY use flashcards to learn our facts??? DD loves to use the Mazth Wiz 'cause she feels like it's a game as opposed to normal flashcards ...& when we've used flashcards w/her we lose patience w/her 'cause she doen't know them so letting her work on her own keeps everyone happy & I know she's still practicing (I listen to her work on it).

It's bad enough that she's doing poorly already in Math (2nd grade) & then to have her teacher come at us like it's all our fault!???!

Sorry - I just had to vent a bit about this....thanks for reading....

 

[cruisnfamily]

Honestly, I kind of side with the teacher.

You'd be amazed what 5 minutes every single night with regular paper flashcards will do.

Really, set an actual timer and only work for 5 minutes, but do it every single night. It makes a HUGE difference and really helps with those speed tests. Try it for a week and see what you think.

 

[amburger]

Man. That's tough. I remember not being so well at math at that age. You're a lot further ahead then we were. I never used flashcards, I don't think to help. I did play math computer games though. I'm fine now except that I'm still not so great at math. Oh well. Who needs math. I know that doesn't help you any, but yeah. I think I got Cs and Ds in math all through elementary school. Oh who am I kidding, all through life. LOL! Speaking of I just failed a college math class. Yeah, that was my fault. Okay, this post isn't helping you ANY so I'm going to stop now.

 

[tiggersmom2]

I understand you are venting so no flames here....but maybe consider doing the flashcards for one month and see how it goes. It is obvious that the Mathwiz isn't working so just see how the flashcards work.

 

[daisyduck123]

I'm sorry but I have to agree with the teacher promoting the paper flashcards. Especially since you said you tried the paper flashcards & your DD didn't have much success with them so you stopped. Well, she's not having much success with the speed drill tests either. Maybe there is a correlation here? I would practice each night with the paper flashcards for a week & see if there is any improvement.

Even though this is an age of electronics, sometimes the old-fashioned ways do work best for some.

BTW...at my school, the 2nd grade classes have those "Card Shark" electronic math games...but they are not to be used to teach, only to review & help the children with their speed once they have mastered the facts.

 

[Serena]

I understand. There are lots of different things the teacher could have said to make it less negative. But, hey, it could be just a bad week. We all have them.

Like Tiggersmom said though, the old fashioned way might be worth trying. Couldn't hurt.

 

[luvmyfam444]

Actually the Math Wiz IS working - we just haven't had it long enough to catch up - before we really got to working with it the class was doing their 8's & 9's now they are testing up to 15 (add/subt) so we started behind, but as far as her addition speed test she has come up a bit -sometimes making a B but on the subt she's still pretty much failing, but she'll get those small problems - & she doesn't usually get any of the ones she answers wrong - she doesn't finish 10 problems or more & those of course are counted against her making the failing grade. (in Kidergarten she was taught to count on her fingers & now that's all she want to do so it takes up all her time doing it taht way)...

 

[N.Bailey]

I'm not taking sides. I'd only suggest trying the flash cards and see if they make a difference. If they don't, I wouldn't hesitate to contact the teacher for other alternatives. Just because something works for most people, doesn't mean it will work for all kids. I do agree with the teacher that the computer generated flash cards don't seem to be working though. Why waste your time on something that's simply not producing results? You need to find alternatives that do work. I'm not saying that's always easy (I have a son in the IEP program). Making no change however assures no results, IMO. I don't mean this to sound ignorant, but try to remember that you and the teacher are on the same side. She's certainly not the enemy and while they're not always right about everything, they're more trained in this area than most of us are. Thru the years I've gotten some really sound advice and many wonderful teaching ideas from the various teachers that we've had.

 

[N.Bailey]

Actually the Math Wiz IS working - we just haven't had it long enough to catch up - before we really got to working with it the class was doing their 8's & 9's now they are testing up to 15 (add/subt) so we started behind, but as far as her addition speed test she has come up a bit -sometimes making a B but on the subt she's still pretty much failing, but she'll get those small problems - & she doesn't usually get any of the ones she answers wrong - she doesn't finish 10 problems or more & those of course are counted against her making the failing grade. (in Kidergarten she was taught to count on her fingers & now that's all she want to do so it takes up all her time doing it taht way)...

I don't know what to say if you feel it is working. I will say that my son has never been one who learned much of anything on the computer. For some kids, they seem to learn faster by using one, but with others like my son, it's just not the case.

Perhaps you could combine the two techniques if you really feel it's beneficial?

 

[SandiH]

I would also try the flashcards as well. The Math Wiz game may be distracting and although fun to play, not helping her focus on improving her speed with the facts. Perhaps you could also ask for some practice tests so she gets used to being timed. I know some kids freeze up a bit at the thought of being timed.

 

[N.Bailey]

I also want to add that they're not trying to get your daughter to learn how to add and subtract faster by doing these types of test. They're trying to get her to memorize the easier ones. How hard to you have to think when someone says, 10 - 6 = _____ . My guess is, you don't have to actually do the math because you've got it memorized. That's the goal of the exercise and why flash cards are usually pretty effective.

 

[inaminute]

Another benefit of flashcards is that you are right there to encourage her. You also may also be able to figure out "tricks" to help her remember. Practice tests are also great tools.

I work a lot with my grandson in math. He's learning his multiplication tables and making pretty good progress. He takes a practice test every night. It takes five minutes. We don't stress what he's doing wrong. We don't stress on the timeframe. The only rule is that he must go through and do all the problems he knows first. Then, he can go back and work on the others. The next day we concentrate on teaching the ones he doesn't know. He has 30 problems. When he first started this group last week he missed 15. Tonight, he missed only five.

I know it can be frustraing, but you really might want to give it another try with the flashcards. Don't take it too seriously, give lots of praise for correct answers, ignore the wrong answers (but work on those the next day) and have fun. Think of it as a game. I'd be willing to bet that you'll see improvement if you practice just five minutes a night.

 

[damo]

What I do with my students that seems to work is to make up 1 sheet of questions. Photocopy it and give her the same test every day. She will eventually memorize the questions. Keeping the questions in the same order and doing the exact same sheet over and over really seems to help.

 

[Teacher03]

Paper flashcards are always good to tuck into a pocket or use in the car. I always encourage my students to whip them out whenever they have a few minutes. Can you ask the teacher for some practice tests so your daughter can practice at home? There are also a lot of excellent CDs and videos. I use the "multiplication rap" series with my kids. Its corny, but they love it. ( I do give timed tests, but I don't count them for a grade. Some kids don't do well under pressure and just can't write fast enough. I give a written untimed test and an oral test, then average the score together. It seems to be working better for my class.) Good luck, and try not to get too discouraged.

 

[Karel]

I hate hate hate timed math tests.

But they serve a purpose because it really does help later on if you can do math quickly.

Flashcards are the way to go. Yes, they are boring and old fashioned. But it makes you think quickly and it only takes 5 or 10 minutes a day.

 

[trip]

This sounds kind of silly but when my DD was at that point - she loved to take long baths & I would sit in the room to keep her company. It is a great time to chat about the days events. We would also spend about 5-10 minutes going over flashcards. We would separate the cards that she knew "instantly" each day. The next day we would review those and then start memorizing afew more. This seemed to work quite well - maybe because there were no distractions around.

 

[Tinijocaro]

NOt sure ow your dd's game works, but with paper flash cards, I always made two piles when working with my kids- one for corrrect answers, one for incorrect answers, then we can focus on the ones the child is having trouble with, and drill those or come up with memory aids. Maybe the game doesn't focus on the difficult ones??

Jackie

 

[Nicolepa]

I don't understand why it has to be one or the other? If it were me I would be doing both. I'd do the paper flashcards 5 minutes (or however long) each day and then let her have unlimited (or whatever you want) time on the computer.

 

[clh2]

Maybe alternate the methods, the mathwhiz program one night, flashcards the next, and a practice test the third night. Just keep practicing, every single night.

The other thing you should pay close attention to, and my apologies for this sounding weird~because it is. But this really helped my DD:

Some teachers did their time tests with the equations written straight across, like:

1 + 4 =__________


Other teachers do their tests "up and down" like:

1
+ 4
____


Keep her practice format the same as the test format, whether it is practice tests, or flashcards.

Good luck!
In the early years of time tests, it really helped my DD to use the same format that the teacher used on a test.

 

[delilah]

This really brings back memories of 2nd grade, when I had a problem with when the teacher would read off the math problems that we were supposed to solve. I would do great if the problems were on the board or on a sheet, but, if they were read to me, I just couldn't write them down fast enough to get the correct problems to solve. I am just not an aural learner, I am a visual/experiential learner. (My teacher at the time was totally perplexed by this, since I was very good at math. She thought I was trying to solve the problems as she read them off. I went on to pretty much get all A's in math, and had a second major in math in college). Good teachers play to the strengths and weaknesses of their students. Their goal is that everybody master the information and skills required. If this means trying something else to succeed, then that is what I would do, either as a parent or a teacher (I am not sure how old the OP's daughter is, but it sounds like early elementary). So, I would try the flashcards. I never used flashcards as a child, and my son is getting A's in math, right along, and I never used them with him. On the other hand, I have several nice math teaching computer programs, including one he used when he was just two years old. That's right, he knew how to add and subtract before he started preschool.