From: Owen <owenbprince@hotmail.com>
To: Teacher2Teacher Public Discussion
Date: 2008010815:26:47
Subject: Re: Re: Saxon math

To Joy Bennett:

   I found the Saxon text costs more than some of the other
texts but it gives you a lot more value.  I gave it a positive
review on my site.  I researched different text books and concepts and
felt that it was one of the better books.  Most text books specialize
in one perspective. They can't be all things to all people.  You, the
teacher, are the expert in explaining and teaching the concepts.  The
text book is only a guide to help focus the students attention on the
material. 
If the text book does not do that, then you must supplement the
information with whatever you find works best for that student.
 No two students learn exactly the same way or we could program a
robot computer to teach everyone exactly the same and not need real
teachers.  This is why we have teachers.  To evaluate the level the
student is at and what works best for that student based on how the
student learns. Some are visual, some action, some tactile and some
need all three ways to learn.   Special Education classes have
students who tend to need all three types of lessons to learn the
concepts.  I think repetition is very important for your students but
it should be done in a way that combines all types of learning-
(visual, action, tactile and sound ).

  I have a web site to teach math (k-4) with some  charts  that you
can copy for free .  You may find my charts very helpful for your
students.   They start out with dot patterns, like dice,  to help them
define what a number is.  They then explain how to associate the dot
patterns with the number symbol and  how to subtract groups so they
don't need to count backwards or on their fingers.  DotMath explains
how digital numbers are made and how a calculator works on the inside
so they can beat the calculator in a race.

  You can find the "DotMath for kids" web site with the
google search box.

I hope this helps you and your students have fun with math.

Owen
	

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