The Math on the Level (MOTL) Method
If you've read my ramblings about my Math Curriculum in a previous post. You must be wondering how it works. Well you've got to have it to understand it.
What I can say is that is it is neither spiral nor abstract. It builds upon concepts as mastery and comfort is achieved by not doing MORE but LESS.
The minimum required is 5 questions a day yes just 5. Most will of you might think that's not enough but in reality it is. This method takes away the daunting feeling of doing problem after problem on a worksheet but makes the task look short. easy and achievable. Infact it soon makes an average child cry out for more. My kida actually prefer to do several problems per 5 topics, but I have learnt and firmly believe that those who do just 5, make great progress. I know because I tried it.
Initially Lil Muallim # 1 couldn't believe that was all he had to do, but loved the change. The very same day he asked if he could have more questions to do in the next 5 a day. This is because Maths is one of his strong subjects. But when I have found him struggling on a concept I have changed the format of the 5 a days making it simpler.
Here's what our typical 5 a days looked like for Lil Muallim # 1 and # 2
LIL MUALLIM # 1
LIL MUALLIM # 2
That's what I call simple yet effective or in other words "little is more".
In the past couple of months they have become so comfortable and accustomed to this method that they can now pick up their own grade level workbook and do several questions on 5 different concepts they are on by finding the pages on their own.
Obviously this came around after my marking their 5 a days on a paper for a few weeks, which looked like this:
Mind you, that's not the only way we do math. You'll be finding out about that soon.
Obviously this came around after my marking their 5 a days on a paper for a few weeks, which looked like this:
Mind you, that's not the only way we do math. You'll be finding out about that soon.
STAY TUNED.....
8 comments:
Great post! Thanks so much for sharing how you do the 5-a-days.
Thanks Rhonda! I appreciate your dropping in a comment. Glad you liked it. :) Love MOTL!
Thank you for sharing your link with the MOTL yahoo group. We also began MOTL a few months ago, but haven't yet got into a system.
student4life
You're most welcome. I know what you mean by not yet "in the system", but once I got there I wished I had plunged in immediately. It's about us getting out of our own stereotype comfort zones. :) Go ahead jump right in. :)
As salaam alaikum, We also just started a new math curriculum. It isn't the same one, but the concept is similar. BTW, I recently added you to my blogroll.
Walaykum assalam Ukhti,
Jazakallah for adding me on your blogroll. I would also like to know about your homeschooling journey. As for our new Math Curriculum, the whole concept of learning using long term memory is definitely more fruitful than the short term memory. :)
I read your comments and tips on the yahoo group, thanks :) I try to jump in, but I keep referring my boys back to Teaching Textbooks as I find MOTL requires some prep. As much as I love it, we are still at the initial stages.
I was the same for more than a year... don't worry :) Working out of the box is not always second nature to us! :) I wish I had learnt MATH the MOTL way making it all so natural :) Hang in there.
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