Wow!

Last year I started composition books with our two youngest. They each have their own. I would write a question and they would answer it. Then they returned it to me with a question. I answered, wrote another question, etc. (A sneaky way to get them to write.)

It was very interesting. They would ask some hard questions. And give some revealing answers.

This year I decided to use the books for math. I will give them problems to work and they will return the favor. I enjoy math but I figured sooner or later they will stump me. Sure enough Christopher went online with the search line, "hard word problems".

He got one for me that went clean over my head. I studied it awhile and decided to see where he got it. No help there except for the info, "Most tricky and tough algebra problems are covered here." Yikes!

Determined to master this, I searched for how to solve algebraic problems. (I'm the person who, if you tell me it isn't likely to be done, I'll master it. I was told in my younger days that, "Girls can't whistle with a blade of grass." Wrong thing to tell ME!)

So I settled down to GET THIS! I followed a couple tutorials online until it finally got through my head. A few simple steps and presto! There was the answer! Christopher said he hasn't seen me so excited in a long time. Well, I was! I can't describe the feeling of empowerment that came from mastering that problem.

And a piece of info I left out above from the "hard problems site"- "If you can solve these, you can probably solve any algebra problems." Obviously there are lots more on that site but to tackle and conquer something that seemed so impossible, was fantastic. Maybe I can do it again.

It was interesting to me how that feeling stayed with me even in other matters. Where something would before look impossible, I'm thinking, "Maybe I could get this!"

Here is the problem in Christopher's handwriting (he writes very faintly in pencil) and also copied and pasted from the site-

The cost of petrol rises by 2 cents a liter. last week a man bought 20 liters at the old price. This week he bought 10 liters at the new price. Altogether, the petrol costs $9.20. What was the old price for 1 liter?

Can you solve it?

Math at Khan Academy (Website review)

How about a free education? Can something free be good? 

We have been given a living room set, a bedroom suite, hundreds of Legos, bushels of tomatoes, a bed mattress and more. Yes, free things can be good!

Khan Academy offers free education on a number of subjects. Our family has benefited from the free arithmetic instruction. I enjoy math but don't know how to teach it. If someone doesn't understand fractions I don't know how to explain it better than the textbook. (How can you not understand fractions?) 

Sal Khan explains things to students. Not saying that they always understand him either, but they can listen to him repeatedly without him getting frustrated with them. That's a super good thing. He always says the same thing in the same tone of voice... because it's on video.

One does not need to repeat 80 percent of the material here, as often happens in a classroom setting, because things are taught on a mastery basis at Khan Academy. Once you've mastered a concept, you can move on to something else. It is a myth that you need to practice and practice and practice to be able to understand math concepts.

Yes, some practice is needed but once you understand it, you understand it. More practice is not needed. And practice will not help you if your brain is not ready for a concept. It will only be frustrating. Cognitive readiness is a huge factor when learning math. 

"Conveyor belt" schooling puts all children the same age, in the same grade, doing the same things. Then it labels them slow, average or quick. Our children are humans, not machines and just because one child is cognitively ready to learn addition at 3 (or 6) years of age does not mean that all children are.

Math is meant to be explored and enjoyed; but with the way it is taught in schools, it becomes one of the most hated subjects out there. This is so sad because math can help us understand more about our orderly Creator. Khan Academy gives you the chance to take math at your own pace, in your own time, and be okay with who you are. 

After you've signed up at Khan Academy, look for the drop-down menu on the left, labeled Subjects. Under the Math by subject tab, find Arithmetic. That is the best place to start, in my opinion, because it will help you fill in any "holes" in your math education. I enjoy continuing my education here.

Here are screenshots from my phone to show you how much is under the Math by subject heading. 

Have you ever wished to continue your education but didn't have the finances you needed? Here you go! It's free.

Listen to Sal Khan explain things more at a TED talk.

Inspiration

There are different ways to receive inspiration. My inspiration comes from a young mother of seven who has begun to blog daily. If she can, I can too!

That brings back memories of the little one room school I attended as a little Amish Mennonite girl. There were two "big boys" in school. One shorter and very athletic. The other taller, more gangling and uncoordinated. If the shorter one accomplished a high jump for instance, the taller one would say, "If you can, I can too!" He couldn't always but his attitude was priceless.

Now that we've started "school", I spend time reading, studying and writing as I require the boys to do. We are trying to implement the Thomas Jefferson model of learning which says "Inspire, not require. But not neglect." It is very different from the "conveyor belt" model we grew up with so I am studying that as much as I can, trying to internalize the ideas. It is a more interest based way of learning.

Our studies begin with reading a Bible story together. This morning it was Genesis 6. The story of Noah finding grace in God's eyes and believing God when He said it's necessary to "evacuate". How believable was it that a storm of global proportions was coming? God can always, always be trusted. Why do we doubt His words?

Next we read a classic book aloud. The Little House in the Big Woods is the one we're in right now. Or as my somewhat dyslexic brain wants to word it The Big House in the Little Woods. I laughed so hard at myself after I did that. The mind picture... 

What constitutes a "classic"? A book that you get more from, each time you read it. It contains lessons and principles that don't change. The Bible is our greatest classic. Some educators say nature is God's great classic. Get outdoors and learn the many lessons He has for you.

In our story this morning we read The Story of Grandpa and the Panther. As we read how Pa screamed like a panther for Laura and Mary, we wondered what it actually sounds like. YouTube furnished us with an example that was spine tingling.

Melvin went on to practice his math facts at Xtra Math.Christopher did some writing and then math practice at Khan Academy. He is also studying different motor bikes and recording the specs. The boys' interests are so varied.

Melvin is reading The Incredible Journey. Christopher has a number of books in progress. Ender's Game, The Light Princess, Bruchko, and I'm sure there are others. He is an avid reader.

This book assumes you have a basic knowledge
of numbers and know your math facts.

We don't stress workbook types of math until they're good and ready. Researchers tell me that all the math we traditionally labor to teach children in the first 6-7 years of school is unnecessary. They are able to learn it all in one year of study once they go through puberty. This is because their brains take on the ability to comprehend abstract thoughts during this time. As one instructor says, "Don't teach algebra until they have hair under their arms." Just save most of it until then really.

Book used in 7th or 8th grade
Copyright 1960
(When people were smart)

All the time we spend drilling, drilling, drilling only results in creating a hatred or fear of math because it is so hard at a young age. Sure play number games. Do fun things with math. Study the Fibonacci sequence. Use recipes or building projects to learn about fractions, measuring and etc. Use numbers in real life situations. All. The. Time. Workbooks? Never. Until 7th or 8th grade. New ideas? No. It's the old truth revived.

Did you grow up during a time when schools taught in a smart way?

Have you heard of the Thomas Jefferson (or TJEd) model?