SAT Prep for the Math Strategy-Challenged

I know I can't possibly be the only person to have just one go-to math strategy to employ when solving math problems, right?

[crickets]

Okay, maybe I'm in the minority, but somehow I doubt it. In short, I tend to take the long route to problem solving, going through all of the standard arithmetic, although I didn't realize how long a route it was until beginning Gruber's Complete SAT Guide with my daughter.



Granted, we haven't been using this book very long, but already, I feel like I've had my eyes opened to so much. There's no wonder I struggled with the math portions on my SAT, because even if I could do the math, the time allotment was too short for me. First I had to decipher the problem, determine what was being asked, block out everything else that was going on in the room (distraction is a BIG problem of mine), and then go through all of the steps, employing lots of arithmetic, before arriving at an answer. And then paranoid teenage me (some things never change), would still second-guess my answers, and would attempt to check and double-check. In short, it was a HUGE waste of time.

What's neat about Gruber's book is that it teaches multi-level approaches to solving problems. There's one example in the book using a very simple problem, and the author goes on to illustrate seven different ways to solve it. I found that in that problem, and in subsequent problems in the book, I kept resorting to the "Rote Memory Approach" to solving them. Not only is this the least creative way to solve problems, but it's often the most time-consuming. I just want to add here that this realization kind of ticked me off. In truth, it did. And not just because I was frustrated with myself, but with the fact that this sort of stuff just wasn't ever discussed when I was in high school. Half the time, I just tried to figure things out myself. And there was no Internet to help either! I do believe that there are just some mathematically gifted kids whose brains are wired in a way that makes creative problem solving more organic to them, but if you're not one of the lucky few (my son just happens to be one of them, lucky stiff), then it really helps to have someone, in this case a book, point these strategies out to you.

In any case, I just wanted to put this out there for anyone trying to decide on materials to use for SAT prep. I do want to add that I also purchased a few other resources, namely the College Board's Official SAT Guide, thinking that my daughter could work her way through that one with the help of the oh-so-awesome Khan Academy video series.

Long Time No Writey or Staying Productive While Sick

Egads, I feel awful about not having come on here to write a post in so long. I've been occupied with loads of other things. Some school related, some not.

Let's see...here's a quick update.

We've all been sick on and off. Just when one of us gets better, another one of us gets sick, and the bug makes its rounds again. But we're working through it as best we can. I can't wait for the spring. The milder weather would surely help us stay healthy.

I feel rotten, too, because we've all missed a few kung fu, kali, tai chi, and kickboxing classes. I'm going to pay dearly for this later. I find that whenever I miss a class, I get extra achey when I start up again. Yikes. And we're doing so many cool things, too! Stuff like Wing Chun, Ba Bu Chuan, and some Jeet Kune Do kicks. :)

Because everyone has been either sick or borderline sick for weeks, we've lightened up on schooling load. Despite the lightening of the load, we've probably been more productive than usual. Weird, isn't it? I've come to realize, particularly within the past few weeks, that we do a fair bit of learning via discussion, or just plain conversation. What usually happens, is that something will be brought up, or overheard on the news, or in a read-aloud session. Often, the kids' curiosity is sparked, and that's all it takes. In the past few weeks, as the kids were exposed to new ideas, we've discussed, researched, and read about all of the following: Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Nathaniel Hawthorne, John Hathorne, the Salem witch trials, puritans, plate tectonics, natural disasters, tsunamis, Chernobyl, clean energy, the history of kung fu, the recognition and interpretation of different traditional Chinese characters, some words in Mandarin, and contact juggling. And those are just the things I can remember right now, as I sit here and type this.

When I first started homeschooling, I stressed over whether or not I could provide my children with a gap-free education. Several years later, I've come to the conclusion that a gap-free education is really a myth. Over the years, I've thrown together our curriculum, picking books and materials from a number of sources, and while I find what I use enriching, what I'll think back on fondly when the kids are grown and no longer homeschooling, are all of the times we've spent on discussion, often while cuddling together on the couch, or hovering around a computer monitor, with mouths agape in wonder, as they read or watch material that fascinates them.

Offering up prayers for all of those effected by the horrible earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear plant explosions in Japan. You are all in our hearts!

Really Learning Latin

Just yesterday, as I struggled to translate a Latin sentence through what this site refers to as a "crossword puzzle" reading of it, I realized that I had a problem that needed addressing. Deconstructing sentences this way is wholly inefficient. I tend to follow all of the steps thusly: pick out the verb, determine the conjugation (1st, 2nd, etc.), determine the personal ending, the number (singular or plural), the tense, the voice, the mood, pick out the subject, determine the number, check for an object, again check if it's singular or plural, determine the noun cases, etc. And I didn't even get to adjective declensions, or issues of gender. Not to mention that I'm still learning all of the vocabulary.

The article I've hyperlinked above details the Dowling Method for learning Latin. It speaks of learning Latin grammar via "brute memorization." Well, after yesterday's exercise in frustration, I've come to the conclusion that yes, nothing but brute memorization is required here. Surely, internalizing all of the forms by way of daily recitation and keeping copywork notebooks full of charts would be more than helpful. The article recommends that these charts and tables be copied 200 times each--100 times for the adjectives table. That's a lot of copying. If I'm not able to master the paradigms after that, I'd have to pack it all in. But how could one not get it after all of that? Now, despite my agreement with all of this drilling and copying, I just don't see the point in holding off so long before introducing reading selections. The article explains how the forms must be mastered first, and asserts that this could take about six months' time. That's a big time commitment to nothing but rote memorization. I'm a big believer in the immersion method to language learning, which requires little to no prior familiarity with the target language. And yes, while immersion in Latin is very different than immersion in a modern language (it's not like you will be surrounded by native speakers or anything like that--unless of course there's some society of classicists that do nothing but hang around together and speak Latin all day), I still see value in exposing oneself and one's children to Latin readings early on. In my opinion, it gives children (and adults) something for which to strive. Drilling forms, I've determined, is essential, but why hold off on something as pleasurable as reading? Why can we not have our cakes and eat them too?

As far as Latin reading material is concerned, I do own the first of Hans Orberg's series, also referenced in the above article. I've only read through a dozen or so pages, but I was able to understand everything I've encountered there so far. I understand there is a huge jump in difficulty as you go along, but that's to be expected, and brings us closer to our goal of eventually reading more complex material. It's such a neat idea. In fact, I wish such a series existed for most languages, but especially for ancient Greek. The illustrations basically help you understand the text. Really, it's as much of an immersion program as can be found for Latin students.

Some other books I either own, or am contemplating purchasing for the kids are Ecce Romani (similar to Orberg in that you are immediately immersed in Latin, although Orberg's books are far better and infinitely more thorough), and an assortment of children's books/stories translated into Latin (Fairy Tales in Latin: Fabulae Mirabiles, Harrius Potter books which I recently found are also available in ANCIENT GREEK, and various Dr. Seuss titles as well). There are just so many options now, and it would be a pity to hold off on them until all of the Latin grammar is committed to memory.

   

Personalized Learning and Finding Joy in Life

Entertaining and spot on, as usual.



If anyone has missed Sir Ken Robinson's first TED talk on creativity in schools, you can view it here.