Is she learning?

[cp]

I’m using LM with my 17 month DD since early this year.  My husband has commented that she pays attention because she only wants to see the icons.  She tends to look away more often when LM is showing higher numbers … that is when the icons gets very small.  I now wonder if she is learning the math itself.  I dare not test her… maybe because I’m afraid to find out that she has not learned. After all I’ve not been consistent in teaching her math.  I’m at 90’s now in showing her quantity and at multiplication equations.  I’m thinking of starting all over as I’m afraid she might not have learned it due to my inconsistency.  May be this time using the Shichida 65 day Math programme downloads in the LM library.

I'll appreciate your views on my questions below:

1) Will our kids learn the math if they seem to be interested only at looking at the icons (perhaps they only pay attention to AN icon instead of the entire screen of so many icons to learn the quantity … I hope I’m clear in explaining this)?

2) Should I test my DD first before deciding to start all over?  If yes, what number should I test her? A random number from each range of 10’s to 90’s? Is it too much to test?

3) If she does not show any sign that she knows her math, do you think I should use the Shichida 65 day Math programme this time?

[Tanikit]

17 months is a difficult age to test at - I found when I tried asking my daughter to pick between two words for reading at this age that she just picked both. You'd be amazed what they are learning even when you don't realise it. If I were you I would not test but just continue with the programme - when you are doing addition and subtraction with your child they are seeing the dot cards again and again along with a new concept (addition/subtraction) and this will enforce things even further giving you the time to test her when she is a bit older and possibly more reliable.

1) Yes, I am pretty sure they will. They see not only one of the icons but the whole lot at once - it is very unlikely that if you show them an aeroplane and call it "one" and then two aeroplanes and call them "two" and so on that they will think that an aeroplane is a one or a two... there is something in them that seems to understand what you are trying to get across. My daughter now at 20 months does seem to think that "two" means "lots" though - when asked how many she says either "one" or "two" (one vs many) but she can count to eight. I am guessing that she will sort this out herself in time. Just keep at it.

2) Whether you test or not, do NOT start over - you will bore her. You can do the repetition by teaching addition and subtraction.

3) I don't know much about the programme, but because children learn so much in so many ways, if I were you I might try using both programmes together even. You need to use what works for you and your child so if you want to switch I am sure it is fine too.

[khatty]

Excellent questions, which I am hoping someone else can answer.  

I feel I am in the same boat as you.  My dd is also 17 months and I started with Doman Red Dots in January and then moved to LM a few weeks ago.  I haven't followed any strict pattern to showing her the dots or the equations.  I have finished addition and subtraction and have also just reached the 90s in quantity.  I am unable to determine if she knows any math at all and I am very reluctant to test her.

Where do we go from here?

cp, Mind if I ask if you are teaching reading, and if so, where your dd is at with reading?

[cp]

Hi Tanikit

Maybe you are right.  It just that I’m worried DD is not learning what she is supposed to as she seems to be interested in the icons only and keeps saying “Baby”, “Bear” etc when I show her LM.  Perhaps I worry too much.  Thanks for your advice.  I’ll continue doing whatever I’m doing.

Hi Khatty

After teaching quantity and multiplication equations, I’ll continue with division equations and then 2 steps equations, multiple steps equations etc. I’m kind of following the steps in http://worldsbesteducation.org/math.aspx (by DomanMom a moderator here) on what to do next.  Maybe you want to check it out. If you have LM, you do not need to follow the equations given.

I do teach DD to read using LR or powerpoint presentations downloaded from this site.  But I can’t tell you where she is now as I do not follow any programme or schedule. I don’t even keep track of how many times I show DD certain words.  This is because I’m not an organised person and I repeat my material very often when I cannot download new material in time due to my very slow internet connection (sometimes I could not download anything for more than 2 weeks).  For some of the LR files that DD likes them a lot, I must have shown her more than a hundred times. I am still showing her single words and have started showing her phrases/sentences.

I used to delay reading the words when I show them to DD just to see if she can say them out.  I’ve also wrote words that I’ve shown her > 100 times (eg dog, ball) on pieces of paper and asked her what they were.  But she has never shown any sign that she can read.  It was not a case of her didn’t know how to say those words yet as she could already say more than 80 words then.  Then, I did a test a few weeks ago like some other members mentioned in this site (i.e I held 2 cards with different words on them and asked her where “dog” was, for example).  She got 4 out of 5 times right.  For the time that she got it wrong, she corrected herself quite immediately but I cannot remember if it was before or after I indicated that she got it wrong the first time.  It seems to me that she might be guessing.  If she was not, why she has never read out the words when I show them?  But I want to think that she is learning . 

[Nida_A]

I had been showing my son the icons from LM for some time - he stopped paying attention even to that!  I think even the icons got too much for him in the end ... I don't know why but I could tell that he wanted a "break" from it.  So this is what I did to interest him (so far so good)...

I prepare my equations the night before (only takes about 5-10 minutes) on powerpoint.  I use red dots ... after each equation, i put up a big picture of something, fullscreen (anything like cars, bucket, etc).  I put up a new picture everyday (like 5 new pictures)... so before showing him the dots, I give him a "preview" and tell him that I will be showing him some pictures, just look at the screen and wait ... then he looks at the red dots (about 5 slides) and there is a picture ... he gets happy ... then back to the red dots again ... so this is what I do.  So far it's holding his interest pretty good ... i tell him to keep looking at the screen, otherwise he might miss the picture! 

With the reading he doesn't have this problem ...but with the maths, when he sees the dots you can tell he is not interestested...why do they seem to be so disinterested in the dots, is it the lack of pictures - i don't know.

[KL]

Regarding the main question as to whether they are really learning, no one will know with 100% certainty.  Personally, I feel that so long as they are looking at the screen, then the information is going in.  In fact, some would argue that that is a more effective way of getting the information to go in, when you're looking at something but actually focused on something else - this is actually the right brain method!

See, right brain learning is where you by-pass the logical, critical, analytical left-brain so that the right brain can absorb massive amounts of info without the left-brain getting in the way.  This is the reason why the flash method requires rapid flashing, so that you're not using your left brain to analyze (or count!) the dots, but using the right brain to take in the whole image and perceive the quantity.  Similarly, there are other methods that try to disengage the left brain, like flashing patterns (which you focus on) while you listen to a piece of information (which contains the info you're trying to absorb).

So it could well be that your child focusing on the icons (but visually taking in the entire image) might make this more right brain learning than otherwise!

NidaZafar, have you tried using icons of things he likes?  And your method of showing a 'reward' picture is a great idea!!  Maybe we'll incorporate this into Little Math in the future!

[Skylark]

  Similarly, there are other methods that try to disengage the left brain, like flashing patterns (which you focus on) while you listen to a piece of information (which contains the info you're trying to absorb).

KL, that is very interesting! Where would I find more info on that? Would that mean, that if I would put flashing b/w patterns on the screen and will play an audio piece on some other language my baby will be able to absorb it better, and possibly it will be more of an effective way to teach her language?

I am very interested in this, thank you for mentioning it!

[Nikolett]

Here are Photoeyeplay downloads for LR ,thanks to Martina
http://forum.brillkids.com/downloads/?sa=view;id=5253
http://forum.brillkids.com/downloads/?sa=view;id=5240
(there are a lot more as well) that help to activate right brain 

[Aguh]

Hi CP,

my daughter tend to have the same "problem". What we did is to sort out the pictures she likes tooo much (and keeps saying it in a session).

Maybe you are right.  It just that I’m worried DD is not learning what she is supposed to as she seems to be interested in the icons only and keeps saying “Baby”, “Bear” etc when I show her LR.  Perhaps I worry too much.  Thanks for your advice.  I’ll continue doing whatever I’m doing.

[Skylark]

Thank you, Nikolett, I hope my LR will start working soon, so I can check those out!

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