tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25941696841582639402024-03-19T22:24:21.720-07:00MathMadeEasy.com Blog<a href="http://math-madeeasy.blogspot.com">Keep up with the latest MathMadeEasy.com news & connect with our Math learning community here.</a>MathMadeEasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15080885088650340866noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594169684158263940.post-81148110164615324932011-05-18T10:12:00.000-07:002011-12-29T12:48:51.787-08:00Learning Disabilities and the Math Student<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcMpuFsK5qGcmtmWdNgyyvMuL9z-JjCDxrSTy-JTfN9bW0GP4iGZPMz5Y8A_ZwsI8fq9kJbvo9GvGXO5aSlyYubuVpPYn6cEaABbjTpU3_JmtcY9PGxC7lqpwV_43N6Ms6VW-B8HAZE0/s200/dyscalculia.jpg" /><br />
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</div><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many of our students who use our <a href="http://www.mathmadeeasy.com/">math software</a> and tutoring approach us tentatively by saying after the first or second session</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">with us that they have been diagnosed with a specific learning disability. Some of</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">them express this to us in a matter-of-fact way and others tell us that -because of their</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">diagnosis, usually by a physician or a psychologist – they expect us to use tried and true</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">methods to “reach” them in their disabled state.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although there are various schools of thought on this issue as well as whole schools</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">devoted to working with students based on a physiologically or emotionally based</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">diagnosis, we deal with our students in a multi-sensory environment. Our tutoring</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">apparatus uses whiteboard technology, which engages the student’s senses in a concerted </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">manner. Students may write on the whiteboard in a variety of colors and strokes. They</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> may speak and hear through headsets at the same time.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This multi-sensory learning enables students of diverse strengths and weaknesses to</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">experience a powerful tool. Traditional classroom learning requires that students be</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">quiet and not move while learning large bodies of patterns such as multiplication tables.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Children learn geometric shapes and conceptual patterns and spatial relationships almost</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">entirely without movement. Using manipulative tools is not uniform and it is often</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">limited to non-instructional time.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although much time and money has been spent researching learning disabilities in the</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">area of language, little conclusive research is available in the area of general math skills.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Math tests require a variety of conceptual and cognitive skills and no single test can</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">pinpoint a deficit which can be alleviated through a specific intervention or technique.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is our feeling that using diagnoses to approach working with a person who has</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">difficulty in math is counterproductive. Mathematics is a rubric which covers many</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">diverse skills and abilities, form language to organization to sequencing to classification</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and beyond. Some of our students approach us in the hope that when they divulge their</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">diagnosis we will know exactly how to help them. However, even with established</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">research in other areas of diagnosed disabilities there is much which can only be learned</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">in the practical here-and-now of working with the individual student.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The vast majority of our students with problems are those who find it hard to remember</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">patterns. This impedes their ability to learn the algorithms of multiplication and division.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These students often find it hard to recall multiplication tables. Some of them are so</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">motivated that they devise their own methods of remembering these factoids and patterns.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We can help many students with difficulties in math – also called “dyscalculia,” a vague</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">but clinical-sounding name for difficulties in the general area of mathematical skills –</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">with our multi-sensory approach. Here are a few profiles of students we have worked</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">with, disguised to conceal any identities.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kate was in the sixth grade and doing D work in math. She was unable to retain from</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">day to day the steps necessary to do long division. Sequential instructions confused her</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">when given verbally. She had difficulties in determining which quantities were larger</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">than others and which could be divided by others. We worked with her and with her</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">grandmother, devising manipulatives to be used at home, such as nesting mixing bowls.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kate also used color schemes in our five-color writing tablet to mark patterns in the</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">division algorithm. We contacted her teacher and discussed her performance in order</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to improve both her grades and her understanding of math principles. Although she</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">couldn’t take the pre-algebra class with half the rest of her class, Kate improved enough</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to pass respectably.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">David, a high-functioning autistic child of 12, did not want to concentrate on learning</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">new computational skills. He was reluctant to solve problems except as they related to</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">money – and even then he had difficulty in applying the same principles week after week.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He would often ask for addition problems when he was fully capable of doing more</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">complex work. David did love to draw and we worked with him weaving his creative</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">drawing into the math tutoring to make him feel more comfortable. Eventually, his</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">discomfort in math was displaced by the comfort of the whiteboard environment and we</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">achieved moderate success with him.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Diagnosis implies a scientific approach to problems. It often is not. Sometimes the</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">solution lies in rolling up one’s sleeves and doing what intuitively feels right. This is</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">what we do and we are pleased to say that it works.</span></span>MathMadeEasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15080885088650340866noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594169684158263940.post-29358712936708701462011-05-09T13:03:00.000-07:002011-12-28T11:00:05.532-08:00Student Becomes Gifted in Math After Working with Our Tutors and Products!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhn36kI_I9nie3ImpWxIrl4seSw4m5ocVFqmB-pcqK-kURnLXTcw0Ax9FpwGk6PQ7rlPqkkH0aRyhmKxI4Kpx_brQu9EgiwOiy6eAOKRLb3ZeQ4jlnaMDXL5YEZuNod9Rt-X6DzdUJn-4/s1600/math.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhn36kI_I9nie3ImpWxIrl4seSw4m5ocVFqmB-pcqK-kURnLXTcw0Ax9FpwGk6PQ7rlPqkkH0aRyhmKxI4Kpx_brQu9EgiwOiy6eAOKRLb3ZeQ4jlnaMDXL5YEZuNod9Rt-X6DzdUJn-4/s200/math.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">copyright resources.prufrock.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Christina Moan is a student who has been using Math Made Easy's <a href="http://www.mathmadeeasy.com/">math software</a> and online tutoring. Her mother recently contacted Math Made Easy to let us know that because of her testing on the math section of her standardized test Chrstina has been selected to attend a school for the intellectually gifted in Montreal next year. She started out using tutoring with <a href="http://www.mathmadeeasy.com/">Math Made Easy</a> because of low math grades just a few months ago. </span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We are very proud of her!</span></div>MathMadeEasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15080885088650340866noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594169684158263940.post-25453542634032144202011-04-12T12:22:00.000-07:002011-12-28T11:04:01.258-08:00The Adult Student Returning to School and the Math Hurdle<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnuuwDS7lM7fgpD6702Dq3lYk1D4sAQrpqULurU8d_byW2Gbekui8bp9bRRkcbeJDQ3IfNdYlY1Jd-5C3aYHlSVZaR_lzWOt0ycVHa0yY_RC2oNdvojmOJO3TxtaU3GAlnxxausEweUsY/s1600/goingback2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnuuwDS7lM7fgpD6702Dq3lYk1D4sAQrpqULurU8d_byW2Gbekui8bp9bRRkcbeJDQ3IfNdYlY1Jd-5C3aYHlSVZaR_lzWOt0ycVHa0yY_RC2oNdvojmOJO3TxtaU3GAlnxxausEweUsY/s200/goingback2.jpg" width="139" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">copyright back2college.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> More adults than ever before are returning to formal education. Some want to learn what<br />
they have failed to learn in high school. Some have made the momentous decision to<br />
earn a high school diploma or to go to college for the first – or second or third – time.<br />
And some, particularly those in mid-life, want additional education in order to recharge a<br />
stalled career or start and entirely new one.<br />
<br />
The growth of adult literacy programs, whether it be community-based, <a href="http://www.mathmadeeasy.com/">math software</a>, or other online mediums, has made it<br />
even more possible than ever for adults who want to learn to do so in the comfort of their<br />
own homes and communities. The decision to return to an educational environment<br />
brings with it expectations and fears, both real and imagined.<br />
<br />
One of the more prevalent fears is math phobia. </span></div><a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Math phobia is real, harmful and often reality-based. It is often based in one or more experiences in a person’s life which caused him pain, such as being ridiculed by powerful people or losing an important position or even a loved one because of a perceived deficit in mathematical ability. It is a serious impediment to success in the social and economic world we live in and it can devastate its victims by making it impossible to succeed in career searching or in solving problems of daily living.</span><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unlike language, which is heard, seen, spoken and used every day, or science, which is</span><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">often taught a with hands-on approach, one does not often remember the finer points of</span><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a subject like geometry or trigonometry or algebra if they are not applied on a regular</span><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">basis toward solving the practical problems of one’s life after leaving school. The fact</span><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">that most math courses are taught in an abstract manner, often using mostly visual cues</span><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">which are not concrete, makes it less likely for students who learn primarily by hearing or</span><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">moving to remember techniques and principles.</span><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While it often takes simply a jolt of courage and determination to return to studying math</span><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">for literacy or for career advancement or for pleasure, there is help available to alleviate</span><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the pain of math phobia:</span></span><br />
<ul style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;">Talking with a trusted friend about the fear is one way to proceed. People who harbor fear and do not share it are less likely to feel that it is possible to overcome the fear.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Purchasing a book or video to be in control of the subject, literally to keep it under wraps until you are ready to look at it, gives a sense of mastery from the beginning.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Exchanging lessons with a student who is stronger in math but less able in an area of your own strength may work. For instance, if you are a skilled baker or carpenter or tailor and a friend is stronger in math than you are, you might exchange services and tips. This will enable you to work from a position of strength rather than form weakness.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Purchasing a short-term or long-term tutoring service, such as Tutorial Channel, gives you the control over your own time and privacy while re-introducing math into your life.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Starting with small victories, such as adding a column of figures on a grocery receipt or calculating the tip on a meal with a calculator, may help. The longest journey begins with the first small step.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Being compassionate with yourself is essential. As with any phobia, one anticipates fear of loss or pain when the essence of the fear is experienced. Understand that the fear is due to a traumatic event or to a series of events which were beyond your control at a time when you did not have the power you now have.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Don’t expect your concerns to dissipate overnight. It may take an extended period of time with ups and downs to gain control over this fear. Be patient with yourself.</span></li>
</ul><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that others have faced this difficulty<br />
before you and many have overcome it. Building the mathematical part of you might be<br />
an experience similar to starting an exercise plan or taking vitamins: good for you in the<br />
long run, gives you aches and pains and side effects at first, and something that might be<br />
priceless for your future well-being.</span>MathMadeEasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15080885088650340866noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594169684158263940.post-56832668425059944932011-04-07T13:51:00.000-07:002011-12-28T11:14:57.632-08:00The Math Made Easy Approach to Tutoring<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLPH4cyoViS9VAJGqiR1DoReaa8lkHngtDBhjYRlr9w7uRptEtojdhOsYWkVj4Q2W1FrZw56SPaxDD_aL_Pek-di5BoyOsuwyAn-ERta44fJGKTaPWNmOYcUeGfkocToKyHMkEJQj-BLM/s1600/catherine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLPH4cyoViS9VAJGqiR1DoReaa8lkHngtDBhjYRlr9w7uRptEtojdhOsYWkVj4Q2W1FrZw56SPaxDD_aL_Pek-di5BoyOsuwyAn-ERta44fJGKTaPWNmOYcUeGfkocToKyHMkEJQj-BLM/s1600/catherine.jpg" /></a></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Your Choice of<b> Technology:</b></u><br />
<br />
Math Made Easy uses a unique <a href="http://www.mathmadeeasy.com/">math software</a> package to tutor point-to-point. Whiteboard<br />
technology and our complimentary headsets allows our students to communicate in<br />
writing, orally and visually with our tutors. Webcams at our tutoring site enable the<br />
student to view the tutor. Students have the choice of using a webcam to enable the tutor<br />
to see the student and/or diagrams in print. Math help is available at the student’s choice<br />
when the student wants it.<br />
<br />
<u>Your Choice of<b> Time:</b></u><br />
<br />
Schedule your algebra, arithmetic, calculus, statistics, geometry and trigonometry<br />
tutoring session online using our virtual scheduling system at any time. View all tutoring<br />
sessions available through our web site and make your appointment in seconds at any<br />
time, day or night.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: small;"><u style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Your Choice of<b> Tutor</b>:</u><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Math Made Easy tutors are experienced with students of all ages, ability levels and</span><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">subjects. We have worked successfully with learning disabled, math phobic and autistic</span><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">individuals. Every effort is made to keep the student with the same tutor to build a</span><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">personal relationship conducive to success in study. Students have the option at any time</span><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to change tutors to try a different approach. Our math help is personalized and never</span><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">scripted as in larger group-oriented tutoring concerns. We work person-to-person towar</span><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">achieving your goal in mathematical competency.</span><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our tutors honor your request to contact classroom teachers to ensure congruence of</span><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">methods and to maintain communications between tutor and classroom teacher. Parents</span><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">receive frequent progress reports verbally in order to give them the ability to work</span><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">appropriately with the student to reinforce tutoring session material. We provide a vital</span><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">link between teacher, parent and student.</span><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><u style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Your Choice of <b>Program:</b></u></span><br />
<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We offer a variety of packages to suit the needs of most students seeking math help.<br />
Whether your math tutoring needs are long-term or short-term, for remediation or<br />
enrichment, homework-oriented or course-oriented, Math Made Easy has an affordable<br />
tutoring program for you.</span>MathMadeEasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15080885088650340866noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594169684158263940.post-32869780746479798412011-03-29T11:33:00.000-07:002011-03-29T11:33:39.717-07:00COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR CHILD’S TEACHER PART 2 – DO’S AND DON’TS<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here are a few practical pointers for getting teachers to listen and respond to your requests:</span></span><br />
<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>DO's</u></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">· </span><span style="font-size: small;">Always use emotionally neutral language. Avoid words like “should,” “must,” and anything threatening. </span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">· </span><span style="font-size: small;">Let the words speak for themselves. </span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">· </span><span style="font-size: small;">Ask specific questions which may be answered in a few words.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">· </span><span style="font-size: small;">E-mail is faster, easier and more readily accessible than paper notes.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">· </span><span style="font-size: small;">Specify your preferred method of verbal communication. If you need a phone call, ask the teacher to call you at a time when you know you will be able to take the call without having the teacher leave a message Be sure to include your telephone number in the message.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>DONT's</u></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">· </span><span style="font-size: small;">Avoid leaving telephone messages at a school. School offices are often manned by student monitors and messages may not reach the teacher's mailbox.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">· </span><span style="font-size: small;">Don't use confrontational language or threats. That approach may not only be counterproductive but it may also be illegal. </span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">· </span><span style="font-size: small;">Remember that your communication skills reflect on and ultimately influence your child's method of communication.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">· </span><span style="font-size: small;">If you’ve tried to contact a teacher and received no response after the second attempt, try calling a guidance counselor and explaining why you need to speak with the teacher. Counselors are more accustomed to working with parents and may be able to pass your message along. </span></div>MathMadeEasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15080885088650340866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594169684158263940.post-52855328356196254802011-03-15T08:57:00.000-07:002011-03-15T08:57:56.752-07:00COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR CHILD’S TEACHER PART 1 – MAKING CONTACT<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-9rvaFGP10Jz6GxLb3DlSUfBZerIRlD5D3AHVwRVnLF2bHagyvIFtsJchlsXFN5ooh9qN1z2sDeI6lPxNAyqQqVY9ODjQxIgapuLsEtxhxdsF2dCQhYpOfbHn3mF7TIWcjTne3QciqOk/s1600/hug-club-clip-art-209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-9rvaFGP10Jz6GxLb3DlSUfBZerIRlD5D3AHVwRVnLF2bHagyvIFtsJchlsXFN5ooh9qN1z2sDeI6lPxNAyqQqVY9ODjQxIgapuLsEtxhxdsF2dCQhYpOfbHn3mF7TIWcjTne3QciqOk/s200/hug-club-clip-art-209.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Parents often find it alarmingly difficult to make contact with teachers. Many are amazed to</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">discover that telephone messages they leave at the school go unanswered, and often assume</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> (not unreasonably!) that the teacher is simply ignoring their requests. Not surprisingly, parental</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> anger at this state of affairs tends to grow by the day.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><a name='more'></a><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Of course, from the teacher’s perspective, things look quite different. While a phone call may be</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> the most convenient way for a working parent to communicate, school offices are almost perfect</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> environments for mis-communication, and parental messages are often lost, misfiled or even</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> absconded with deliberately. The likelihood of lost or inaccurate communication is very high.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you are fortunate enough to have a teacher's e-mail address, take full advantage of it. If not, the</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> best way to get important information to your child’s teacher is a written message, delivered by</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> your child in a sealed envelope. Written notes are generally well thought out and detailed (unlike</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> the typical phone message). Teachers can read them carefully and respond to them thoughtfully</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> at calm moments.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Always be clear about the nature of the response you hope to receive and the urgency you feel</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> about receiving it. If you prefer to be reached in a particular way – cell phone, work phone, written</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> mail or personal meeting – specify that as well.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How long should you wait to send a second request? Two to three days should be sufficient time</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> for a response.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Most teachers, like most workers, want to do their jobs well and that includes working with</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">parents to make a student's job easier. It is in everyone's best interests to maintain good</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">communications skills and by doing so you set a superb example for your child.</span></span>MathMadeEasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15080885088650340866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594169684158263940.post-34478426500138286442011-03-07T12:51:00.000-08:002011-12-28T11:21:19.475-08:00Formulas, Felines and Flash Cards<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3InZMgFHfHM-a8xuaf-d-bQiVfZE7CHPnzc8XSmOMSM3I5hFTZWG21YZ0bwAcLVrqeeSL2MOQNJDZFo9g_nXm6Dx_RNoz3fKOCI-pXdL_0TWI86l3lPFOt_oNCdYIJ6gWQL3z0cMRuI/s1600/a00a987feeadf247d5a8acd72981c98f11a2c403_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3InZMgFHfHM-a8xuaf-d-bQiVfZE7CHPnzc8XSmOMSM3I5hFTZWG21YZ0bwAcLVrqeeSL2MOQNJDZFo9g_nXm6Dx_RNoz3fKOCI-pXdL_0TWI86l3lPFOt_oNCdYIJ6gWQL3z0cMRuI/s200/a00a987feeadf247d5a8acd72981c98f11a2c403_large.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I was in school, one of my favorite professors, after rattling off a long and complex formula,</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> looked at the blank faces in front of him and said, “Well, if you can't remember how we got the</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> formula, just write it on a piece of paper and pin it on your cat so you'll see it every time the cat</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> goes by.” (Or you can just look it up in our <a href="http://www.mathmadeeasy.com/">math software</a> programs)</span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The cat lovers among us feigned horror but we also acknowledged two underlying truths – we</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> tend to remember what we write, and the brain's natural ability to focus on moving objects can</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> further cement mathematical information in our memories.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite the constant bombardment of information our brains experience on the web and the</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> proliferation of electronic media our daily lives, there’s still something unique about the way that</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> writing out information by hand impacts learning and memory. Writing out complex formulas and</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> equations helps children (and adults!) to boost memory by engaging fine motor and visual skills to</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> reinforce the other senses.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As far as pinning the paper to the family cat, while few felines will appreciate this particular kind</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> of sartorial attention, you can achieve the same result by allowing your child to post handwritten</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> math information to a refrigerator or bulletin board, allowing peripheral vision to view and record</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> some of it without conscious effort.</span><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s a far more powerful – and lasting – way of learning math than reliance on flashcards.</span></span>MathMadeEasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15080885088650340866noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594169684158263940.post-86089113200761789542011-02-23T09:12:00.000-08:002011-12-29T12:49:29.798-08:00Were the Founding Fathers Math Geniuses?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VK02nplDSut7PxL6j97QBaTqinob3Ped3gy4c2n_RY2OrIlUQ1kai6zMmgelFft2SGu_9i_W6gJXBNhv1QIlF1e7Nm-eC3a3iJVoM4cfYeJWDqW2-pWylXJ7Ln7_EwEb-cDxT1qkFlM/s1600/forefathers.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VK02nplDSut7PxL6j97QBaTqinob3Ped3gy4c2n_RY2OrIlUQ1kai6zMmgelFft2SGu_9i_W6gJXBNhv1QIlF1e7Nm-eC3a3iJVoM4cfYeJWDqW2-pWylXJ7Ln7_EwEb-cDxT1qkFlM/s200/forefathers.gif" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">America’s Founding Fathers – notably George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander<br />
Hamilton and James Madison – were mathematically literate people before <a href="http://www.mathmadeeasy.com/">math software</a> was invented. They skillfully used their knowledge to solve difficult problems central to the well-being of our new government and our strength as a people.<br />
<br />
Consider the debate about how to fairly apportion members of congress to each state.<br />
<br />
The Hamilton/Vinton method of apportionment divides each state’s population by the total<br />
population per elected seat, which inevitably results in fractional numbers of representatives. It took the Founding Fathers many pages of formulae and calculations to work out a solution that avoided that outcome – a complex challenge, but the Founding Fathers were up to it! Without having to call on a commission of experts, they worked their way through the thicket of mathematical issues and came up with an elegant solution that combined elements of direct and proportional democracy.<br />
<br />
Our early Presidents were equipped to apply their scientific knowledge to the application of democratic ideas as they conceived them.</span>MathMadeEasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15080885088650340866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594169684158263940.post-86450356833676685612011-02-15T08:23:00.000-08:002011-12-29T12:52:31.010-08:00Preparing for College Standardized Testing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieR2uL_veOQ3HgyvaHJEXIjQCJ6LwUEoKrTFp86HDkpLrwgE68jqYhh36Bt51OK8OdofOuiOacxwZhiyuuwSIbiDBqz_DygCuEx0VMqnS8zLKQHGPqddt-vqvoeD_hFNCt-8NvivjepsI/s1600/sat2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieR2uL_veOQ3HgyvaHJEXIjQCJ6LwUEoKrTFp86HDkpLrwgE68jqYhh36Bt51OK8OdofOuiOacxwZhiyuuwSIbiDBqz_DygCuEx0VMqnS8zLKQHGPqddt-vqvoeD_hFNCt-8NvivjepsI/s1600/sat2.gif" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K3Mnpjg-w8I/TVqn6Xlk2CI/AAAAAAAAACY/s1600/testing-220x165.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span id="goog_679606138"></span><span id="goog_679606139"></span></a></div><br />
<div style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Welcome to the wonderful world of standardized college testing! Fasten your seatbelt!<br />
You have entered a world of fast-flying acronyms, subtle distinctions, scoring rules that<br />
would boggle the mind of any sports statistics historian, and would require a <a href="http://www.mathmadeeasy.com/">math software</a> program to keep track of it all!<br />
It seems that confusion reigns supreme in this specialized world which<br />
resembles nothing you have ever seen before.<br />
</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
SAT coaching is often done in large groups. Individual preparation is costly and hard to<br />
find. Test deadlines loom at the busiest time in a student’s career. Quality SAT test help<br />
is deferred to the last minute or difficult to schedule with programs already in place.<br />
<br />
Is personalized SAT test tutoring hard to find? Not at <a href="http://www.mathmadeeasy.com/">Math Made Easy</a>! We assign you<br />
a personal tutor who is familiar with your needs in the verbal and quantitative sections of<br />
the SAT exam. We work with you form start to finish at your convenience in your home<br />
at your computer without your having to expend travel time or welcome someone into<br />
your home.<br />
<br />
Our virtual tutoring service allows you to see your SAT test tutor on camera and<br />
hear your tutor on the phone as you write to each other using our special whiteboard<br />
technology. No more crowded classrooms with review of materials you already know.<br />
<br />
With <a href="http://www.mathmadeeasy.com/">Math Made Easy</a>’s SAT test help you progress at your own speed and you work on<br />
what you need.<br />
<br />
Don’t follow the herd to be heard! Try a demo today by contacting us at </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="mailto:info@mmtsusa.com">info@mmtsusa.com</a> or </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">1-800-USA-MATH.</span></div>MathMadeEasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15080885088650340866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594169684158263940.post-86277368328491073922011-02-01T13:55:00.000-08:002011-12-29T12:55:44.075-08:00Math Tips for Teens and Parents of Teens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDvo9MeVfOV66zkysmRv0do4Ir4AjJIX4VuWfg3DDxmQDXRoJPoVTKR_Bx0DCFvCvqNAU-IGzQNNqIhA-xLNg13wg0ZjODT-bJa8-dIkB1A2si2H1RCosXSp13nmKS87pkzvLUUL21pNw/s1600/clipart-pencil-checklist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDvo9MeVfOV66zkysmRv0do4Ir4AjJIX4VuWfg3DDxmQDXRoJPoVTKR_Bx0DCFvCvqNAU-IGzQNNqIhA-xLNg13wg0ZjODT-bJa8-dIkB1A2si2H1RCosXSp13nmKS87pkzvLUUL21pNw/s200/clipart-pencil-checklist.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Many students report trouble studying for a math exam. Studying math is a little different from studying history or a foreign language. All of your subjects are developmental. That means that concepts build in complexity and they refer back to previous concepts. If you do not understand and apply the earlier concepts, you are likely to have a harder time with the concepts introduced later. It is very helpful to have step-by-step <a href="http://www.mathmadeeasy.com/">math software</a> to help students internalize concepts.</span></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Foreign languages are developmental as well. If you do not understand the first lessons in vocabulary, you will not be able to do the grammar well. For this reason, it is important that you understand the definitions of words introduced early in the course. You should also make sure that you understand words introduced later on. </span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hints: </span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1) If your teacher introduces a concept without offering definitions, ask him or her for a definition of the term he uses. </span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">2) Write down the definition and keep it on a special card or in a list of definitions in that subject so you may study it for a test.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">3) If you do not get a satisfactory answer, look it up yourself either in a college dictionary with specialized meanings (those further down in the definition which are marked by “sci.” or “math” to indicate their special use in these areas). Use the word in a sentence and see if it makes sense to you or to someone who knows the subject.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">4) If you have trouble with a particular concept or with a set of homework examples, look back in your notes to see where the misunderstood word is. You will be surprised when you look it up and understand it because the subject will seem a lot easier to you.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">5) Since math is developmental, it requires lots of practice to learn it. Involve your whole body – arms, legs, fingers, mouth and ears – if you have to- by writing, drawing, talking , singing and even dancing the work.. Use a special pad or notebook for this practice until you feel you have mastered the work.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">6) Review the week’s work and make sure you understand all terms used; make sure that there are no words which have not been defined; learn all definitions presented in that time period.</span></div>MathMadeEasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15080885088650340866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594169684158263940.post-51404554234757250722011-01-25T12:35:00.000-08:002012-01-02T10:06:03.395-08:00It’s Not All About Numbers: Why Children Do Poorly in Math<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga2SlKeqP-gL8oe_HPSQSeuwOdjVDK1LQsP0UEcE-iMCDNNuogbrUxjsCHUh-xNze1E2PdthQ5C3JKiXKhLG5pUfSnoJ5nT0bRdt2hg1LLW1DxjxLQZ1z8ODMUWH6x3HLvco2nEnF5zhM/s1600/math-numbers-for-kids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga2SlKeqP-gL8oe_HPSQSeuwOdjVDK1LQsP0UEcE-iMCDNNuogbrUxjsCHUh-xNze1E2PdthQ5C3JKiXKhLG5pUfSnoJ5nT0bRdt2hg1LLW1DxjxLQZ1z8ODMUWH6x3HLvco2nEnF5zhM/s200/math-numbers-for-kids.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Parents often ask us why their children are doing poorly in math, particularly in grades 2-6. For young children, abstract quantities can be daunting, especially when taught in the context of skill drills. Many children do not find immediate meaning in numbers as symbols, although that is what we hope to convey to them. </span></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When we work with children in third through fifth grades who are having difficulty with procedural operations, such as long division and multi-digit multiplication, we find very often that they have not had any kinetic activity associated with the learning of the multiplication tables which are the basis for their computations. They become distracted from the procedures of multiplication and division by their concern over the “blank space” in their knowledge of multiplication tables and they lose momentum. Parents often tell us that they download tables form the Internet, <a href="http://www.mathmadeeasy.com/">math software</a> programs, or they use flash cards.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We often ask the parent to provide art and craft materials for the student to use in writing his or her own personal multiplication tables. When the tables are personalized and used frequently with pride and familiarity, students gain in experience, confidence and expertise.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We suggest that your child have on hand a set of personally crafted multiplication tables from 1x1 through 12x12 to use with pride and confidence. This can be a family arts and crafts project or a project for your child to do in “down” time. The tables should be used for homework in division and multiplication. Even taking them to the supermarket to compute the total cost of multiple items will help to make the applications of arithmetic real and valued to your child.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Making your child’s learning experiential is of utmost importance in creating interest in math and developing skills. Many of us are not aware of the essential uses of elementary mathematical and spatial concepts in our own lives. Heightening awareness of these events in our own lives is essential to pointing them out to our children and sharing our experience with them.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Just as we read to our children, so should we communicate our reliance on mathematical principles to our children. This may vary from family to family depending on individual pursuits and interests. For some families whose common interest is sports competition, a short discussion of the role of sports statistics could make that dreaded skills homework more interesting and relevant to your child’s life. Others may be interested in video games, which use computer programming that requires trigonometric applications. Cartoon animation programming uses principles of topology, the mathematics of mapping in space.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Road trips and map reading are also mathematical adventures for parents to share with children. Topographical maps use numbers in an obvious way, while road maps with scale measurements open the discussion to ratios and scale.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The history of measurement and attempts at standardization can be come real when discussing money or the differences among the metric, imperial and U.S. measurement systems.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Toddlers, even with a rudimentary understanding of concrete quantity, can enjoy games of “which is less and which is more.” Counting games and rhymes abound and have been traditionally used to accustom children to quantitative symbols even at very young ages. </span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Perhaps the most useful tool of all in developing your child’s math ability at an early age is precision in language. Most of our students who have experienced the “drill and kill” math experience in school are shocked when they start to solve word problems as a mathematical exercise. These applications of the skills so long deemed to be the foundation of math education are daunting to children who have been trained to believe that mathematical studies begin and end with computation.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If children learn mathematics as a foreign language, with symbols and grammar of its own, they are better able to handle the rigors of higher mathematics – with its whole new set of symbols and logic – and they are more productive students. Reading to your child, discussing concepts of “more and less,” “before and after,” twice as much” and hierarchical classifications such as supermarket shelf organization and street name organization can pay off in your child’s mathematical performance.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Organization is the key to success in solving math problems. Giving your child adequate writing materials and encouraging him or her to experiment with blocking his work with designs to make it easier to read when he checks his work. Organizing work and establishing a rhythm for work is essential to success at problem solving. It is well worth the expense of large paper, markers and even colored pencils to establish the habit of conceptual organization.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So it really is not all about numbers but it is about the ability to organize, translate concepts and think inductively and deductively. Many skills and experiences contribute to those goals and - with parental involvement – children can improve their quantitative skills while enjoying the simple pleasures of life.</span></div>MathMadeEasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15080885088650340866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594169684158263940.post-43970621189945257442011-01-11T09:14:00.000-08:002012-01-02T10:06:59.789-08:00Applied Geometry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6jy3j-4sxqfPFTHqFllUp_37vl9-91nn4om6oQYppZ5kVzql7eVhaqKae86GhW9kUoHL8fIAYgZvbaJXhtXQMQdM6slSRk3o8FEyXzAeIjLMZ0_5Y2bT4ejobAiwgjjpXZWNt6JwPE0/s1600/Untitled1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6jy3j-4sxqfPFTHqFllUp_37vl9-91nn4om6oQYppZ5kVzql7eVhaqKae86GhW9kUoHL8fIAYgZvbaJXhtXQMQdM6slSRk3o8FEyXzAeIjLMZ0_5Y2bT4ejobAiwgjjpXZWNt6JwPE0/s1600/Untitled1.png" /></a></div><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Copyrighted - <a href="http://www.pims.math.ca/pi/cartoons.html">http://www.pims.math.ca/pi/cartoons.html</a> for permission</span></span> <style>
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<div style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Geometry weaves a tangled web. <a href="http://www.mathmadeeasy.com/">Math Made Easy</a> has the solution to help the geometry student navigate it and succeed in geometry. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Our unique web-based whiteboard tutoring <a href="http://www.mathmadeeasy.com/">math software</a> is ideally suited to teaching and learning geometry. Student and teacher are both able to write, draw and color in the whiteboard, making it possible to get help in geometry in living color in real time. Labeling angles, lines and drawing diagrams to scale is simply a matter of clicking and dragging. <br />
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While classroom teachers may help geometry students to understand graphics on the chalkboard, receptive visual learning is not effective for everyone. Our whiteboard enables your student to draw the diagrams and thereby become an active participant in his/her learning. Students learn that much more effectively when they experience being part of the teaching/learning process rather than act as passive non-participants. </span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
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Geometry is the precursor to study of trigonometry and calculus and its mastery is essential to the success of the student in a long term course of developmental study. Students who can speak, see, hear and write at the same time do better overall in this extremely practical course of study. Our approach to teaching using all senses with a highly qualified tutor is highly effective, creative and – above all – enjoyable for the student. </span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
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Geometry jitters? Help is on the way with <a href="http://www.mathmadeeasy.com/">Math Made Easy</a>. Check out the <a href="http://mathmadeeasy.com/geometry.htm">Geometry page</a></span> </div>MathMadeEasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15080885088650340866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594169684158263940.post-32402056849721324242010-12-30T10:49:00.000-08:002012-01-02T10:07:54.980-08:00Student Now Getting 98 Average in Math! Satisfied Mother Writes In<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3l8_-iWv0hZcUnYh4gTGz0qc81EUJX_b5cBRTaO_Cc89ZCSr5DhvfmBMON2tlVhRXKoi7VfgGb4FFXuufE9CkWN4S_Ck5JH69ryeWRJr-CGzuy4e9O8c-vnpNrdqy-vTZPsKASu2NJl0/s1600/math_symbol_clipart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3l8_-iWv0hZcUnYh4gTGz0qc81EUJX_b5cBRTaO_Cc89ZCSr5DhvfmBMON2tlVhRXKoi7VfgGb4FFXuufE9CkWN4S_Ck5JH69ryeWRJr-CGzuy4e9O8c-vnpNrdqy-vTZPsKASu2NJl0/s200/math_symbol_clipart.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Parents are constantly writing in to let us know about the improvements their children have made since using the Math Made Easy <a href="http://www.mathmadeeasy.com/">math software</a> DVDs and online tutoring. Here is an email we received from a very happy mother just last week:</i></span></div><br />
<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hi Anne,</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I just wanted to let you know how well our daughter is doing in math and all her subjects.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">She ranges from 85 to 95 in all her classes, but her math average is now a 98! Can you believe that? This is the same girl who could not do division when we first started with <a href="http://mathmadeeasy.com/">MathMadeEasy.com</a>!</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">She is doing wonderful in high school and I just wanted to share the wonderful news with you. We are very proud of her! </span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thank You, </span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">M.S.</span></div>MathMadeEasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15080885088650340866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594169684158263940.post-62418957997443220532010-12-21T18:35:00.000-08:002011-02-01T13:57:55.502-08:00Learning About Symmetry In Everyday Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEoqrLDIE2UI_QPDFwbuPCZLxbYIuFfP4DVZosnAIvg5lQsUs7C3TEQ5Q4GG5YmjPxOTZ5dRu4sOWlSDWem19JK-SfYvLvp8nS8L982EPF7HyrlGTm4h1Rt0WCv1-556-RHgKQa8knkg/s1600/1552-0902-2023-5753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEoqrLDIE2UI_QPDFwbuPCZLxbYIuFfP4DVZosnAIvg5lQsUs7C3TEQ5Q4GG5YmjPxOTZ5dRu4sOWlSDWem19JK-SfYvLvp8nS8L982EPF7HyrlGTm4h1Rt0WCv1-556-RHgKQa8knkg/s200/1552-0902-2023-5753.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHyk2CnMQso89AqPlmopxYKweqkHMTT58p_GVsZgNBceLUQ0R5nSc6AM6mMSQH2ErXJHGjBs59fm57yW5TorEbuqe1kKXfjEkhj918v0bWwdhhLSxvMtjE7bF7uCU1EWVmUhHIbvCagOw/s1600/flower_clipart_2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Did you know that starfish and humans start out life with the same type of structure? While starfish grow into five-pointed organisms and humans are close to mirror image in form, they both start out as bilateral (mirror image) as embryos. </span></div><br />
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<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It is not only animals which show symmetry in nature. Plants also show a balance of shape. Although human being are not entirely symmetrical, we develop bilaterally and our outsides appear to be close to symmetrical, that is, having a mirror image. In reality, our interior organs are not symmetrical and even our hearts , the very shape we imagine to be symmetrical, are often “lying down on the job” and pointing one way or the other. </span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There are various forms of symmetry. When we think of symmetry, we most often think of the mirror image symmetry, the kind that we think of when we see two hands, two feet, two eyes and other body parts. However, there is also rotational symmetry and even radial symmetry in the natural world, ranging from small organisms to theories on the shape of the universe. </span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Plant symmetry is approximate. Bees often guide themselves toward flowers by a visual perception of types of symmetry which signal to the bee the kind of flower it is seeking. </span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Even in the world of beauty, our innate perception of symmetry impels us to judge who is attractive. According to an <a href="http://www.jyi.org/volumes/volume6/issue6/features/feng.html">article by Charles Feng of Stanford University</a>, symmetry in animals is perceived by others to be indicative of a strong immune system</span></div>MathMadeEasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15080885088650340866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594169684158263940.post-80498885039868613712010-11-28T12:11:00.000-08:002012-01-02T10:10:16.989-08:00Math Fun on the Road<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzzUw-xVMp8WB-vK30ehJHk9c5llXIzwwfSd99yw2vtoZeOnj8I09jyE6zEmA_s5JlvJqbdUQO_PO0U8neuonfeVHtQHasN3T1vcAi8MFvMDhVBvTlUFh89evFFho3L8PbcZqsX7FRfs/s1600/familyVacationStackedCarClipArt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzzUw-xVMp8WB-vK30ehJHk9c5llXIzwwfSd99yw2vtoZeOnj8I09jyE6zEmA_s5JlvJqbdUQO_PO0U8neuonfeVHtQHasN3T1vcAi8MFvMDhVBvTlUFh89evFFho3L8PbcZqsX7FRfs/s320/familyVacationStackedCarClipArt.jpg" width="281" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">For many families, the holiday season involves long car trips on boring roads. License plate games are wonderful ways to strengthen numeracy skills while passing the time. Here are a couple of examples: <br />
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<ul><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">For younger children, just memorizing the alphanumeric codes can be very helpful in nurturing their emerging abilities to make sense out of numbers (and letters too!). </span></span></span></span></span></li>
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<li>Older children often enjoy the challenge of working out possible combinations on license plates. For example, there could be as many as 17,576,000 different number/letter combinations on license plates containing three numbers and three letters!!! (26 x 26 x 26 x 10 x 10 x 10 = 17,576,000). <br />
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</span></span></span></ul><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"> Please share your family's favorite license plate games! </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">And check out our <a href="http://www.mathmadeeasy.com/">math software</a> which is filled with real life math!</span></span></span></span></span></div>MathMadeEasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15080885088650340866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594169684158263940.post-15878153118448690302010-11-08T12:57:00.000-08:002012-01-02T10:12:13.478-08:00Enrichment<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92v8KoShxzOtpxMhnSesSFTRqjRvwL4dWyuV0pWm3TIP_057IjAAYaP2n0dVhyphenhyphenJg1Z_c8PX6y6igibRiu_svM85VPr5w7vnosFmOmvZuKLA_v2Pt2euM3akJMmciEQGBZxSQ-sLA9LZI/s1600/10375_mother_teaching_child_how_to_read_a_book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92v8KoShxzOtpxMhnSesSFTRqjRvwL4dWyuV0pWm3TIP_057IjAAYaP2n0dVhyphenhyphenJg1Z_c8PX6y6igibRiu_svM85VPr5w7vnosFmOmvZuKLA_v2Pt2euM3akJMmciEQGBZxSQ-sLA9LZI/s1600/10375_mother_teaching_child_how_to_read_a_book.jpg" /></a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Even though you may secretly fear that you lack the proficiency to involve your children in math-based activities, your role in enrichment is key – and you can do it! Aside for buying them <a href="http://www.mathmadeeasy.com/">math software</a> or other learning gadgets, you should involve them in real life math activities.</span></div><br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">By now, your kids have probably settled into the school year. Hopefully, with your help, they’ve established a good working rhythm that balances homework and studies, extracurricular activities, family, friends and relaxation. With those hurdles cleared, its time to build on initial math successes with activities that are challenging (in a fun way!) and help your children enjoy exercising their budding mathematical talents. </span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Your role in enrichment is key – even though you may secretly fear that you lack the proficiency to involve your children in math-based activities. I remember the parent of one pre-schooler, an experienced carpenter, who patiently explained his quantitative shortcomings to me as his toddler daughter quietly and deftly fitted shaped blocks into similarly shaped slots. I asked him to look down and describe what his daughter was doing and then it dawned on him that math is not only abstract calculation. He readily agreed to use safety precautions and work with her in his home workshop.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As Thanksgiving and the Holidays approach, there are many enjoyable seasonal math-related activities you might want to indulge in. Here’s a fun one to start with.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Autumn Leaves and Geometric Symmetry</u></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Picking leaves and making suncatchers is a great way to begin the discussion of symmetry (mirror images) in geometry and nature. Take a newly fallen leaf, place between two pieces of waxed paper, place a heavy towel beneath the papers on an ironing board and another heavy towel above the papers, and steam with an iron until the waxed paper has melted enough to encase the leaf. When cool enough, cut a pattern around the leaf, sew a loop of thread or yarn close to the edge of the suncatcher, and hang from a window lock. When you have made several of these, you may compare lines of symmetry and even place the lines of symmetry along a mirror to demonstrate that nature has a mathematical plan.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">More to come shortly! </span></div>MathMadeEasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15080885088650340866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594169684158263940.post-71647906000677584672010-10-07T17:18:00.000-07:002012-01-02T10:14:10.743-08:00Fall Tips to Help Your Child Succeed in Math<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju2XEyc4d1XL3xkExcjxCcDv7V2WsbcJP2QLS0Mo2QUELrl7WZ9vEkqeeJ0sGMvcZeTn7yy79L0Bqh3LTUgMtwir82HQbXg1yU5sjXq09adotlI6jxKg6KlANRnNSA-vjxA7MgGUcSP_Q/s1600/school_supplies1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju2XEyc4d1XL3xkExcjxCcDv7V2WsbcJP2QLS0Mo2QUELrl7WZ9vEkqeeJ0sGMvcZeTn7yy79L0Bqh3LTUgMtwir82HQbXg1yU5sjXq09adotlI6jxKg6KlANRnNSA-vjxA7MgGUcSP_Q/s320/school_supplies1.png" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">As a parent, you are in a unique position to help set your child on a course toward math success. Here are four things you can do now that will make a difference all year long:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><b><span style="color: black;">Instill a Sense of Confidence</span></b></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;">Many children start off the year with math anxiety. Some even feel a sense of impending doom growing out of last year's bad math experiences. As a teacher, I know how destructive these hidden fears can be. Surfacing and identifying your child’s feelings can help him/her let go of old baggage and approach the new year with confidence. Help your child develop a realistic plan for success this year, and give lots of reassurance that you’ll be there to help. And don’t forget to bring your child’s math teacher into the conversation early on! </span></span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><b><span style="color: black;">Schedule for Success</span></b></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;">Math learning is largely a matter of persistence. In his best-selling book <i>Outliers</i>, Malcolm Gladwell quotes research that finds that the common denominator of successful people is a specific number of hours of practice. Through careful planning now, either by purchasing a <a href="http://www.mathmadeeasy.com/">math software</a> program, or studying together, you can help your child succeed in math by accomplishing those hours of practice. And remember, avoiding over scheduling is key. If your child has no room for down time because of boy scouts, soccer, choir, music lessons and an after-school job, he or she will make room -- during homework and study time! </span></span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><b><span style="color: black;">Prepare Your Child for the “Work” Part of Learning</span></b></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;">Math takes repeated effort and a child who has no idea of goal-oriented effort, self-restraint and focus is not likely to be a successful student. The only way your child will master these skills is through practice. Giving your child tasks that are unrelated to short-term personal gratification, through a structured system of chores, can also introduce the idea that <span style="color: #33cc00;">- </span>over time, <span style="color: #33ff33;">- </span>repetitive work can lead to achieving valued family and personal objectives. </span></span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><b><span style="color: black;">Become Your Child’s Math Helper </span></b><span style="color: black;"><br />
Even the brightest and hardest working math students get disappointing grades sooner or later. In my experience as a teacher, parents are the key to helping children take isolated failure with good grace and get quickly back on the road to math success. Give your child permission to admit not understanding a lesson or unit without fear of recrimination. Help him/her understand the cause of the problem and work together to develop a strategy to overcome it. It’s a great lesson in math -- and life! </span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;">After a summer filled with glorious freedom and pure fun, many children now suddenly find themselves mired in the dreaded Back to School Blues. Not surprisingly, most kids find it hard to work up much enthusiasm for another year of homework and tests. But as a math teacher with many years of experience working with children of all ages, I know that a successful reentry into the world of structured and outcome-based learning is the essential foundation to a student’s success throughout the school year. </span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></div><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"></span></span></span>MathMadeEasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15080885088650340866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2594169684158263940.post-42818208539716480242010-09-16T09:19:00.000-07:002012-01-02T10:15:01.597-08:00Welcome to the Math Made Easy Blog!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEios8o_5TAvgB9IGshIZO3TarQQBqS1pmy5PaAkR6KN371qX7odsrSWmK6ZEu_Y4FCdsKyxpRYy1ZZSmGo2oLj1VSr6kxB2GxCm6udDHPCmOlIse_Tmbh7B_u_3pztUGpBimwmAcV7-4w0/s1600/welcome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEios8o_5TAvgB9IGshIZO3TarQQBqS1pmy5PaAkR6KN371qX7odsrSWmK6ZEu_Y4FCdsKyxpRYy1ZZSmGo2oLj1VSr6kxB2GxCm6udDHPCmOlIse_Tmbh7B_u_3pztUGpBimwmAcV7-4w0/s320/welcome.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">Welcome to the <a href="http://mathmadeeasy.com/">MathMadeEasy.com</a> blog page! Math Made Easy uses online interactive tutoring and <a href="http://www.mathmadeeasy.com/">math software</a> dvds to help you or your child succeed at math. This blog is a place for our students and parents to come together as a math learning community. The latest news from Math Made Easy will be found here, as well as upcoming sales, events person testimonials and interesting math articles. We invite you to join in on the conversation and share your thoughts and experiences with us. And for all of you new to Math Made Easy, we offer a 30-day FREE trial! We look forward to getting to know you and helping you- or your child- succeed at math!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>MathMadeEasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15080885088650340866noreply@blogger.com0