One of the benefits of flexibility and not having to constantly move at an "average" schedule, is that the children can move ahead to the next lesson once they are finished. They do not have to wait for the allotted time to expire. Another benefit is that when I notice that yes, they were able to complete the lesson and even the assessment, but do not completely seem to understand, I can stop, take a break and plan a way to help them to truly understand the material.
We are going to have one of those moments tomorrow. I have reviewed the lessons and searched the internet for an alternate way of teaching the subject. This took me about ten minutes. No joke. I found a youtube video that will work nicely. I have my large whiteboard out and ready to demonstrate.
Mixed numbers are a bit funky to say the least. What is a mixed number? You don't remember the terminology? Okay.. 3 1/4 would be a mixed number. So? Big deal. Okay, on your mark, get set, divide 3 1/4 by 5/12. Now multiply your answer by 2/3. Um... What? Yes. So, my child completed the lesson and even took the assessment and mastered it, but I really do not think she will be retaining it long enough to do the semester assessment, so I am going to do an extra lesson tomorrow.
What is the big deal? She understands all of the other concepts well enough to explain them to anyone. She scores 100% on her assessments, so missing that question on the semester test will still probably give her a mastery score. Um... I know she has the ability to understand it. I know that she just needs an extra way of looking at the problem and a little reinforcement. I know that she will retain it and understand it if I put a little time into it. (I have scheduled approximately 45 minutes for this.)
My goal for doing the virtual school was not simply to have the children get acceptable grades in an accredited program, it was to have them receive the best education possible. The math curriculum provided is perfectly fine. It is not lacking. All lessons are covered well. After all, she was able to complete the problems herself and master the assessment. What makes me think I should do this?
I have watched her. Math is very fluid for her. She does not stumble at all. She follows concepts well and understands them. She does not just follow the steps, she actually is able to incorporate them in a practical way in her mind. She UNDERSTANDS math in a way that most people would envy. Her work on this lesson was disjointed. She memorized the steps and went on. I believe she will be more comfortable when she sees this again if she understands it rather than memorizing it.
Maybe I go to far. I don't know. I really do not this will even take 30 minutes and in my opinion, it is time well spent. Then she can go back to racing through her lessons.
Besides, maybe she will lose interest in science and math and decide to open a catering business. Her recipe may call for 3/4 cup of sugar. She may decided to mix 27 batches at once... Then she may realize that her oven will only hold 9 batches. She may need to know how to complete 27 X 3/4 and then divide that by 3. ? Or it may get even more complicated. Either way, knowing and understanding math can give her more abilities in other areas. If she does decide to be a caterer, I would be willing to bet she has less waste and more profit, because she will know how much to purchase, the cost per item and how much to charge to make a X% of profit.
That is what I tell myself when I add more work to my day.
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