MS vs School

I’m not sure why they’re teaching this in middle school but as they are, draw a number line on a piece of paper. And simply show him the progression and regression of the lines as he adds or subtracts. That number line should elucidate the logic. As you add or substract, you’re going up and down the number line.

Hi Pam,

What is appropriate for your child is “what works” for him. People with learning disabilities in math are often very concrete in their thinking. They can’t always get the logic just by trying harder. Your child may need lots of touching and manipulating of objects in order to have the information become “real” to him in his brain. Otherwise, parts of the puzzle drop out of memory, and he can never “see” the entire picture.

I have non-verbal learning disabilities, and when I was trying to learn some information for a research methods for social work (statistics, probability, etc) one of the most helpful things for me involved using M&M’s in large and small packets. I could read and listen all day to explanations from a text book, but putting together and taking apart various groups using M&M’s PROVED to me that the explanations were “real.” You may prefer to try working with your child at home using manipulatives, and may have to get creative. But I hope you will allow him to try learning in a way that is right for him. Also, allow him to ask as many questions as he wants. You might find that if you allow HIM to lead the questioning, he can get to the answer faster than if you try too hard to direct him. I have the same question Sara does about why this is being taught in middle school. JJ

Sara’s number line suggestion is excellent — go with it, and if you spend time and get it right, it will help now *and* lead to further progress in algebra.

The algebra applications are probably what the teacher is trying to lead to, but the explanations are not getting through.

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Like JJ, I have a weird sort of non-verbal learning disability myself, have trouble telling left from right, mix up East and West (although I teach driver safety education), reverse digits in phone numbers, can’t see the scissors in front of my nose on the desk, took four years to learn to print and ten more to sort of learn to type, couldn’t do kindergarten figure-ground exercises until I studied art in university, and other strange things. My daughter inherits much the same, plus she doesn’t visualize at all. But as usual I’m a tiny minority and an oddball even in the minority community. All the descriptions I read of NLD fit me (and daughter) perfectly — until I come to the end and they say I should have trouble with math and am likely to be severely depressed. I happen to have a good degree in science, went back and did a second degree in math, and I’m basically a cheerful and optimistic person. Still a misfit! I tutor advanced calculus as well as other math and reading as part of my income. (Daughter is also quite good at math (calculus) once she beats the visualizing process, and very cheerful).

Anyhow, my general experience is that if American schools *tried* to find the worst way possible to teach math they could hardley go any lower. Advanced mathematicians visualize and concretize ALL the time. Upper-level math books have many many diagrams and lots of equations and not that many words. ALL, repeat ALL, math is applied math, up to and including advanced calculus 3 and differential equations and linear algebra. Newton and Leibnitz invented calculus because they wanted to figure out what kept the moon in its orbit. Einstein invented relativity because he tried to figure out what woud happen if he could sit on a light beam and go for a ride. But I often can’t decide whether to laugh or cry or tear my hair — one time after spending a day trying and trying to get students to graph and diagram problems and put them into concrete terms, I had a student *apologize* to me for visualizing problems. Apologize! She should be at the top of the class! She not only hadn’t been taught math, she had been taught to suppress and be ashamed of exactly the skills needed to succeed.

Anyway, this long digression does have a point. Middle school math in this country is a waste for most students, so at least your son is not alone. In high school when you reach real algebra and geometry, visualizing and concretizing are *the* way to go. So you need to find a way to survive a year or two and try to get your son up to a level where he can take a real algebra and geometry class, and if you can get him in with a good teacher, he will be in his own element and can blossom.

Thank you for your inspiration as an adult with nld. My son 9, has a pretty severe case with social, fine and gross motor delays, severe lack of basic math. I made the mistake of reading Rourke and invision a bleak life for my son. This is a kid who struggles with everything, but like you is brilliant with science and has a unbeatable sense of humor. If you can suggest a typing program or math program ( software) I would be grateful. he really has no concept of $, time, math and is dysgraphic.

Well, I’m really not the person to ask about software; I still write with fountain pens … why did they get rid of quills anyway, grumble, grumble.

Software programs are like anything else that is sold commercially; 90% is trash, and the remaining 10% may or may not suit you and fit your needs. Search and investigate carefully before investing large sums of money.

While computer programs *are* a good backup and drill, human interaction is vital to teaching and learning; and if your son needs social skills, working closely with a tutor is even more a positive. Developing reasoning skills is the most important thing in math, and this works best with a lot of human interaction, discussion, brainstorming, modelling, etc.

I posted elsewhere a system for drilling basic math facts using multisensory approaches and not burying yourself under frustrating piles of paper. It worked for me and when I could catch her it at least helped my daughter.

Good luck and please ask if you want help with any specific details.

My boys have enjoyed Edmark’s math software. It really does a pretty good job of leading kids through basic math one step at a time, including lots of work with “virtual” manipulatives, rather than just drill.
You mention that your son is dysgraphic. If he has to copy problems, write out his work, etc. in math then the effort of writing may interfere with actually learning math. We’re homeschooling and I have found that my kids learn math a lot faster if I do most of the writing! If you are working with your son at home, he can talk you through problems orally, and you can write them. Also, we use centimeter graph paper for column addition, multiplication, etc. It makes it much easier to keep all the ones in the ones column, the tens in the tens column, etc.

Jean