My child's school encouraged parents to request math "enrichment" for their second graders if they felt they needed it. I said, "sign my child up" even though I know this means extra homework in addition to whatever else he is already doing. We received the packet today and I'm not sure what to think. I think I'll be sending it back. (How to do this diplomatically is another matter altogether.)
This "enrichment" packet is designed for grades 3-8 (Numbers and Words: A Problem Per Day), which sounds impressive at first glance, but then you open it up and *blech*. There's no rhyme or reason. There is no gradual building of skills, no sequence of topics and it doesn't progressively follow anything they learned in first grade or will learn in second grade. I think the objective is to make my child feel inadequate and for me to think he doesn't really require "enrichment." It's like a subliminal message to parents to back off and be happy with the existing curriculum (Everyday Math).
Here's a sample of a week's worth of enrichment from the very first page:
Monday: Estimate...On the average, how many hours per week is the television set "on" in American homes?
Tuesday: How many inches are in five feet? Do you add, subtract, multiply, or divide?
Wednesday: A basketball team has five players. Only three scored in today's game. One player made 16 points, while each of the other two made double that amount. How many points were scored in today's game? Can you solve the problem? If not, what do you need to know?
Thursday: In a parking lot, five cars are parked in a row. If there are seven rows just like this, how many cars are parked in the lot? Draw a diagram to show your answer.
Friday: If one gallon of lemonade will serve __ people, how many people will five gallons serve? Write the equation. Let N stand for the answer. (If one gallon serves 20 people, can you solve the equation?)
My feeling is that if I have him work on this enrichment, I will be explaining topics that are obviously out of sequence and beyond his current level of understanding. I don't see how this will challenge him appropriately. This would surely end in frustration.
At the same time, he will not be learning anything he doesn't already know in Everyday Math this year. I've checked out the year's curriculum and given him a pre-test so I don't say this subjectively. He's ready to master and apply multiplication and division and they won't even get there until the end of the year and only very superficially at that.
My gut tells me this is not enrichment, it's a deterrent. It's a distraction intended to make Everyday Math look like a good alternative and convince me that my child doesn't need anymore challenge than he's already receiving.
Thank goodness for Singapore and Saxon.
At first blush, I don't think I have a problem with any but the first of those problems for a child that's doing multiplication and division. (The first problem is just a guess without even a check, which has nothing to do with math.) I do have a problem with giving these to a child without a basic grounding in multiplication, though.
ReplyDeleteIf you were to start practicing for a high jump, you wouldn't begin with the bar set at 6'; that's not a realistic initial goal and setting the bar there initially would result in nothing but discouragement. This is true even if you are pretty sure that you could eventually work your way up to a 6' jump.
The same is true of this problem set for a bright kid who hasn't any background in multiplication; the bar is set inappropriately.
IMO, a more appropriate set of challenge questions would be one tailored to a specific level of skill. For your child, this would be basic multiplication questions now, not pre-algebra.
I also have a problem with the lack of coherence of the questions. There is no theme that you can teach to for the week; it's just random and scattershot. In that, it's probably typical of the EM curriculum, of course.
To some extent, I'm finding myself in a similar position. My son is clearly getting bored with the current math problems in class and has started making careless mistakes (Saxon 2A). I think he needs to be pressing on a bit faster*, which is going to be a topic at our parent-teacher conference next week. We'll see what we can come up with.
* Note: not jumping to some random math topic; I want acceleration, not "enrichment".
Acceleration and compression.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I want, but it will never, ever happen. My daughter was tagged to be "enriched" last year in the 5th grade; it was as you point out -- random topics out of sequence. Many of these were to be solved through laborious picture drawing (or algebra, which hadn't been taught).
I always felt that she was being enriched as a way to deal with parents, not to address the needs of the student.
A good curriculum would allow a child to move quickly through topics as he/she masters them. The entire year might be covered in 6 months, (or 5 or 8, or whatever).
But the enrichment game keeps everyone in the same place but gives the bored kid something to do while the others learn some topic he/she has already mastered.
But the enrichment game keeps everyone in the same place but gives the bored kid something to do while the others learn some topic he/she has already mastered.
ReplyDeleteYou hit the nail on the head. Enrichment does not move a kid forward; it just makes the wheels spin faster without going anywhere. For some kids, that makes it all the more frustrating. Beware of "extension" activities, too. A newer word, but same idea.
Acceleration. That is what is needed. But here's the rub...once you accelerate, the kids can't go back and the school does not know what to do with them.
Case in point: a few years ago my kids were attending a public school with a well-established GT program. In grades 4-6 the math classes were organized into levels, and there was an advanced class for each grade. I was delighted (especially since they were using Everyday Math). Imagine my surprise when I learned that all levels used the same materials, and ALL LEVELS started at exactly the same place in the next year and the year after that. The higher level just did *more* problems. The only advantage to that arrangement was that at least the kids were homogenously grouped, which made the class more bearable.
The same is true of this problem set for a bright kid who hasn't any background in multiplication; the bar is set inappropriately.
ReplyDeleteYes. This was definitely my gut reaction.
* Note: not jumping to some random math topic; I want acceleration, not "enrichment".
This is what I was hoping for. What we got instead, not so much.
I always felt that she was being enriched as a way to deal with parents, not to address the needs of the student.
Absolutely. I really believe this "enrichment" has the consequence (whether intended or not) or shutting up the parents while it has little if any benefit for the children who really need acceleration.
You hit the nail on the head. Enrichment does not move a kid forward; it just makes the wheels spin faster without going anywhere. For some kids, that makes it all the more frustrating.
Thank you.
I am really trying to be more objective about these things and it helps to hear your thoughts. I don't feel quite so crazy now. Of course, this still leaves open the question of what to do with my second grader.
At this point, we'll continue the afterschooling (without the enrichment packet).
Just to be fair. Some of the questions are a nice mental workout at the right stage (my fifth grader would enjoy them). The second grader just isn't there yet.
ReplyDeleteThen there are many questions that just aren't worth the time (like guesstimation).
This doesn't mean my child doesn't need more out of math than he's currently experiencing at school. It doesn't mean he doesn't need to be challenged.
I really like his teacher too. I think she's wonderful in most every respect. Aside from this math issue, I really think he'll grow this year.
Maybe we'll just turn in his afterschool Singapore work instead. Who knows? She might actually see what he's capable of.
I have to tell you a story my brother told me several years ago when we were discussing the state of math education in the United States.
ReplyDeleteHe said that he vividly remembers when our school introduced a new math program when he was in 4th grade (this would have been in the mid to late 1960s in a small school district in Kansas grade). The kids basically got to progress through a series of arithmetic booklets working at their own pace. Once you completed a booklet, demonstrating mastery, you could move on to the next level. The kids who were really still struggling because they hadn't mastered the fundamentals in 1st through third were given perhaps more one on one attention, as was needed.
I think the program may have even continued through sixth grade, but when the kids hit the junior high, it stopped, meaning that all of the kids, regardless of where they were at ability wise, were back in the same math class together. ( hope that makes sense; I fear that it doesn't).
He said that the reason the program stopped wasn't that it wasn't working; but that it was working, but that the junior high teachers thought it was too much of a hassle to have the kids at different levels.
His comment was that as a result, it really was a case of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer when it came to math. Those who would have eventually gotten it, but needed more individual instruction and a slower pace, were left behind. He said that it wasn't a case of some of his classmates not being able to do the work, but that once they all got thrown back in together, they couldn't keep up with the pace.
He said where it really caught up with some of the kids who were otherwise good students was when they reached the high school science classes, and those kids didn't have the math background necessary to keep up with what was needed in those classes. His comment was that they understood the science, but couldn't do the math.
In my case this program was implemented at the jr. high/middle school level in 79/80. It was amazing. You moved through the material at your own pace and only upon demonstrating mastery. What a concept.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the above anecdote--I am two years younger than my brother, and I don't have a strong memory of this program. What I do remember is that in fourth grade, we did have individual math booklets, and we could work ahead at our own pace with arithmetic. What I remember to this day was how much I enjoyed being able to do that.
ReplyDeleteI will also note that my high school math teacher was wonderful. My mom kept saying how lucky we were to have her (I didn't appreciate it at the time, I suppose). My parents also continually emphasized how important it was to take as much math as possible while in high school. Their point was that math certainly wasn't going to get easier in college, and the stronger foundation we had starting out, the better.
For my brother, it wasn't an issue because he was a math brain. It was just expected that I would take four years of high school math, and so I did. By the time I reached my senior year, there were only three of us left in my class of thirty who had stuck it out that far. But, I don't remember it being painful.
Well, speaking of bygone days, I can't resist making this rather snarky comment. Somehow, our generation managed to graduate from high school, college, and in some cases, professional schools without benefit of the modern-day flood of projects that seem to permeate every level and every subject in school.
ReplyDeleteOh sure, we had the occasional project from time to time, but group projects seemed more the exception rather than the rule.
I distinctly remember working on a project of some sort in my Marketing class with a sorority sister, and feeling very grateful that our instructor seemed to have a mild crush on my partner. I should also note that my partner graduated Phi Beta Kappa, so I'm sure the grade we earned was strictly on the merits. : )
boy this is a sore spot for me ... my son is starting 2nd grade and man, he could do singapore 2B (1/2 way through on his own) but I am sooo tired of the afterschooling regiment - when do my kids get to be kids?
ReplyDeleteand the icing on the cake -- his 2nd grade teacher announced that she may not have liked TERC last year, but now likes it this year
(i guess the school upped her dosage of terc koolade).
so. here is what my poor kid has to do.
Number of the day 7. The page shows an example, 5+2 =7.
My son shows me this (I bite my lip) and he says, I know what to do.
He writes
21 divided by 3 = 7
35 divided by 5 = 7
56 divided by 8 = 7
tell me how TERC will "advance" his skill set
sadly, i don't think the teacher will see the sarcasim in the answers - meaning KID BORED!
oh, and in class his answer for "Number of the day is 9" was
(15+10) - (10+6)
*parenthesis were his idea*
He's bored. He can do more. He would LIKE TO BE TAUGHT more!
Sadly the school wishes for him to "discover" more and I've learned that means, mom will have to TEACH more.
My town owes me a refund on public education.
"but I am sooo tired of the afterschooling regiment-when do my kids get to be kids?
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I had a lengthy conversation about this same subject yesterday. Our fourth grader has been having melt downs every day after school because he says he wants to be like everyone else and play.
The main problem is the fact that he is doing challenging math work in Kumon at home but "baby work" (his words) in class.
It has been a battle for me to get him to sit down and focus on Kumon. He is doing division by two digit numbers and lately he has been making many mistakes. I feel this is due to frustration. He wants to hurry up and get outside.
He also does Kumon reading. After yesterday's meltdown, my husband suggested dropping the reading and concentrate totally on math.
The afterschooling regimen is tough on a family with active kids. I've found that it works to make up ground when you can -- making sure the gaps never get too big. We work very hard over vacations, rainy days, sometimes in the morning before school.
ReplyDeleteThe thing I have going in my favor is flexibility. I can massage my schedule as needed, the schools can't. As long as we are generally staying at grade level in Singapore Math, I can live with weeks with little progress.
My goal is to have the kids starting their next grade level before school begins in the Fall. That's done -- the second grader is in 2A and the 6th grader is in 6A. I'm happy.
"...sadly, i don't think the teacher will see the sarcasim in the answers - meaning KID BORED!"
ReplyDeleteWhen you're talking about adds and subtracts to 20, enrichment is not too meaningful. Acceleration is required. If your school is like ours, then acceleration is forbidden in the lower grades. There is no such thing as gifted and talented. Everyone has to learn in a same-age community. They KNOW that many kids need more, but only a few teachers admit it, and none of them will admit it on record. And for some teachers, they'll look at your son as one less thing they have to worry about, especially if they have other kids with real problems.
What can you do? Ask around and find teachers who are better at dealing with advanced kids. Demand (!) that your son gets into their classes. People might say that this can't be done, but if you complain (demand constructively) the school will magically make that happen as long as they can pretend that they are not giving in to parental demand. One friend of mine is not so indirect. He walks into the office of the principal and tell them what teacher he wants for his son. He says: "Don't tell me you can't do it." This is no great solution, but it's a whole lot better than having a poor teacher. For my son, the goal was to keep him happy in class even if he wasn't learning fast enough. The other difficult goal was to hide our (my wife and I) feelings from our son. We didn't want to exacerbate any boredom issues.
Then you have to survive until 7th or 8th grade, unless your son is way ahead of the curve. Our school sets very low expectations in the lower grades because of the very mixed-ability population, but things magically change by 7th grade. The pretense that everyone is equal can't be continued any longer, but some schools still limit the ability grouping to just math. My 6th grade son is now taking 7th grade pre-algebra in our absolutely no ability grouping school. The lower grades are still the same, but things magically change by 7th grade.
This sudden jump in content, skills, and expectations is no problem for capable kids, but it's a major bone of contention for many here at KTM. This major jump and split in math divides students into the haves, who get real math, and the have-nots, who get "life skills" math. This jump (usually between 6th and 7th grades) is the big filter in math education and schools blame the split on the kids; lack of effort or no "math brains". They think that reform math makes the subject more interesting and motivates kids to make the jump, but the jump in difficulty is based on content and skills, not some vague idea of understanding or motivation.
Reform math doesn't solve this problem. It makes it worse. They might talk about balance, but this rarely includes enough mastery because mastery requires hard work and that would upset the no-ability-grouping apple cart.
If you break the linkage between mastery and understanding, then you can hide low expectations behind a veneer of rhetoric.
As far as the afterschooling goes, I agree with Lynn.
ReplyDeleteFor various reasons, things can get tough schedule-wise. Like Lynn, I know there's a day off coming, plus weekends. I often tell my kids that I need 15 or 30 minutes of their time and then they're free to do what they want. This makes it sound like a fair trade when they look at actual time spent working (sans the whining, which doesn't count.)
Certain things lend themselves to early morning or right after dinner work (or after anything). If they get a lot of homework, I usually let it all go for a bit.
Oddly enough, my middle-schooler seems to get less homework than he did as a grade-schooler, so I've been able to get in more spelling and grammar work. However, he has more extra curricular stuff going, so the same push/pull is there at times.
Starting with a younger child is so much easier, but even if you have to start with an older one, be comforted by the fact that many homeschoolers report difficulties the first time they start taking over the reins.
I've just learned that warning them upfront, even daily, makes it easier when the time comes to do the work. I still get whining, but not as much since they were warned.
The best part about afterschooling is when your kid comes home and reports that he knew something or aced a test because of what you taught him. That's when it sinks in that you're really not trying to torture them for the heck of it.
Gifted math must always include both acceleration and enrichment, not one or the other. What they gave you was a rather disorganized, willy-nilly, enrichment-only.
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