Teaching an older child behind in math
The challenge to help an older child who struggles with math is to rebuild a math foundation and repair a negative self-concept. In this situation, if the child is required to learn from a textbook that is several grade levels below his current grade, the rebuilding process is likely to be very discouraging. Math on the Level contains every math concept which must be mastered — without textbooks and with no grade levels assigned to concepts. During the first few weeks of using Math on the Level, the 5-A-Day review process will let you assess the child's retention of all concepts and find out what needs to be re-taught.
With other math programs, children may be taught before being maturationally ready to understand the concept, and they often compensate by memorizing steps instead of truly understanding what was taught. This flawed approach creates a foundation filled with holes. Typically, after years of memorizing steps without understanding, everything falls apart. This often happens between 6th and 8th grades, which is when algebra is generally introduced.
With Math on the Level, you can take your child back to the basic concepts, re-teach and review them in a way that emphasizes comprehension, and rebuild a solid math foundation. Because there are no grade levels in the curriculum, a forgotten concept can be re-taught without the stigma of having to use a far-below-grade-level textbook. You can target instruction exactly where it is needed, so the re-learning process can be done efficiently (as opposed to having to wade through pages of textbooks).
The Math Adventures volume emphasizes real-life applications of math and includes many activities that are appropriate for older children. For example, math can be practiced through preparing a budget, by analyzing the calories in a recipe, or in the context of starting a small business. When students successfully build math skills by using math, they are far more motivated than just doing computations on a worksheet.
Another advantage of using Math on the Level with older students is the 5-A-Day review system, which is very effective in getting information into long term memory. The ongoing review process is thorough but not tedious, which is very motivating for older students who don't want spend hours doing busywork.
Overall, Math on the Level is an excellent choice if your older student is behind in math skills. It will help build a solid foundation and rekindle a successful attitude toward learning and using math.