lisaann
November 21st, 2007, 01:47 PM
I read this recently ( I think it was a Diane Craft article :scratch) and thought it was an awsome concept. :thumb
Forgive me if I don't get this totally right because I am going from memory....:hat
Right brain learners tend to want to see the whole picture in order to learn a concept. To teach the math facts, +, -, x, and divide, these kids need to see the "whole" problem. If you combine it into a shape and even a color it helps them store it for easy retrieval. The problems are set up using a triangle shape with each number at one of the angles like this:
4
/ \ subtract
2--2
add
The answer to the addition is at the top (4). The bottom two numbers are the addends. Then you reverse it by subtracting 4-2 and getting 2. So the problems they are learning in this example are 2+2=4 and 4-2=2. By seeing all three numbers together they learn that they work in a group and will recognize when one of them are missing in a problem and will be able to supply the answer. If you make flash cards up on colored paper it will also help give another 'layer' to their recall.
This also works with multiply and divide:
10
/ \ divide
2--5
multiply
The problems learned here are: 2x5=10
10 divided by 5=2.
10 divided by 2=5
Diane Craft also has multiplication cards that incorporate pictures and a story to help memorize them. I haven't used them yet but I plan on it for my dd next year. I do have a friends who uses them and is very pleased with the results.
These methods are definitely worth a try for those kids who are right brained learners or who just have a hard time learning them through traditional methods.
Edit to add:
the triangle examples didn't line up perfectly but I hope you get the point
Forgive me if I don't get this totally right because I am going from memory....:hat
Right brain learners tend to want to see the whole picture in order to learn a concept. To teach the math facts, +, -, x, and divide, these kids need to see the "whole" problem. If you combine it into a shape and even a color it helps them store it for easy retrieval. The problems are set up using a triangle shape with each number at one of the angles like this:
4
/ \ subtract
2--2
add
The answer to the addition is at the top (4). The bottom two numbers are the addends. Then you reverse it by subtracting 4-2 and getting 2. So the problems they are learning in this example are 2+2=4 and 4-2=2. By seeing all three numbers together they learn that they work in a group and will recognize when one of them are missing in a problem and will be able to supply the answer. If you make flash cards up on colored paper it will also help give another 'layer' to their recall.
This also works with multiply and divide:
10
/ \ divide
2--5
multiply
The problems learned here are: 2x5=10
10 divided by 5=2.
10 divided by 2=5
Diane Craft also has multiplication cards that incorporate pictures and a story to help memorize them. I haven't used them yet but I plan on it for my dd next year. I do have a friends who uses them and is very pleased with the results.
These methods are definitely worth a try for those kids who are right brained learners or who just have a hard time learning them through traditional methods.
Edit to add:
the triangle examples didn't line up perfectly but I hope you get the point