First grade arithmetic tutoring.

[I'm Supposn]

First grade arithmetic tutoring.

I wanted to introduce one of my grandson’s to the concept of two digit numbers’ ones and tens positions.
The first problem I encountered was he lacked any concept of money. He recognized a penny, barely knew what a dime was and didn’t have a clue as to what is money and what do people do with it.


I hadn’t realizes what happens when children seldom see their parents make purchases with currency. Rarely if ever do they observe anyone receiving change during a cash transaction.
Additionally, his dithering old fool of a grandfather was rambling with regard to something inconsequential; if it were of any importance his teachers would have made some mention of it at some time. He’s has the experience gained through years of preschool, kindergarten, and is currently he’s a proud first grader.
For a few weeks I couldn’t make any favorable impression upon my grandson until an occurrence of a great significance; his teacher began instruction regarding the ones and tens columns. I had been vindicated and thus acquired some creditability.
I had assumed that arithmetic instruction would have begun with counting from 1 to 10 and explaining that the count is incrementally increasing as we were adding a 1 to the previous number. Then increase the range of instruction from the fist ten to the range of 1 to 100.
Only then delve in the deeper concept of the pennies and dimes column as we add single digits to numbers first from 1 to 10, then to numbers as high as 19, and finally adding to larger numbers reaching all the way up to the nineties.
It is when the ones’ digits of two numbers being added are greater than the sum of nine, student begin dealing with the concept and receiving clues regarding numbers of lesser values and of subtraction.

(1)I believe that children should first be taught to add numbers by increments of 1, (i.e. taught to count).
(2) Secondly they should then learn to add single digit numbers to other numbers and be introduced to the concept of single and tens positions within two digit numbers.
(3) The introduction of what I consider to be more difficult concepts such as subtraction, logical considerations of lesser and greater numbers and word problems shouldn’t be introduced until they have a firm grounding of those first two primary concepts.

I don’t understand why my grandson’s school board is initiating the concepts of (3) before the children have an understanding and are somewhat both comfortable and capable of performing (1).
My grandson and I suppose the other children are then confused as they skip and hop with the concepts of (2) & (3) before they’re actually comfortable and capable of performing the more first two primary tasks.

My son’s school district has A high proportion of families within my grandson’s class are from families with Korean parents and grandparents. I suspect that those students are at an advantage because they’re being tutored by their experienced family members who are employing their abacuses.

[I have no experience with abacuses. I hadn’t been aware that the Chinese Abacus, (unlike my grandson’s toy abacus) has 7 rather than 10 beads for each column. There are 5 single value beads, a divider and 2 upper beads of 5 times the single bead’s value. There is also a Japanese abacus that’ similar to the Chinese abacus but has only 4 single value beads and 1 bead of 5 time the single value].

I’m doing my best with my grandson’s toy abacus. It’s hoped that I do well rather than further confusing my grandson.

Respectfully, Supposn

 

[SBu]

First grade arithmetic tutoring.

I wanted to introduce one of my grandson’s to the concept of two digit numbers’ ones and tens positions.
The first problem I encountered was he lacked any concept of money. He recognized a penny, barely knew what a dime was and didn’t have a clue as to what is money and what do people do with it.


I hadn’t realizes what happens when children seldom see their parents make purchases with currency. Rarely if ever do they observe anyone receiving change during a cash transaction.
Additionally, his dithering old fool of a grandfather was rambling with regard to something inconsequential; if it were of any importance his teachers would have made some mention of it at some time. He’s has the experience gained through years of preschool, kindergarten, and is currently he’s a proud first grader.
For a few weeks I couldn’t make any favorable impression upon my grandson until an occurrence of a great significance; his teacher began instruction regarding the ones and tens columns. I had been vindicated and thus acquired some creditability.
I had assumed that arithmetic instruction would have begun with counting from 1 to 10 and explaining that the count is incrementally increasing as we were adding a 1 to the previous number. Then increase the range of instruction from the fist ten to the range of 1 to 100.
Only then delve in the deeper concept of the pennies and dimes column as we add single digits to numbers first from 1 to 10, then to numbers as high as 19, and finally adding to larger numbers reaching all the way up to the nineties.
It is when the ones’ digits of two numbers being added are greater than the sum of nine, student begin dealing with the concept and receiving clues regarding numbers of lesser values and of subtraction.

(1)I believe that children should first be taught to add numbers by increments of 1, (i.e. taught to count).
(2) Secondly they should then learn to add single digit numbers to other numbers and be introduced to the concept of single and tens positions within two digit numbers.
(3) The introduction of what I consider to be more difficult concepts such as subtraction, logical considerations of lesser and greater numbers and word problems shouldn’t be introduced until they have a firm grounding of those first two primary concepts.

I don’t understand why my grandson’s school board is initiating the concepts of (3) before the children have an understanding and are somewhat both comfortable and capable of performing (1).
My grandson and I suppose the other children are then confused as they skip and hop with the concepts of (2) & (3) before they’re actually comfortable and capable of performing the more first two primary tasks.

My son’s school district has A high proportion of families within my grandson’s class are from families with Korean parents and grandparents. I suspect that those students are at an advantage because they’re being tutored by their experienced family members who are employing their abacuses.

[I have no experience with abacuses. I hadn’t been aware that the Chinese Abacus, (unlike my grandson’s toy abacus) has 7 rather than 10 beads for each column. There are 5 single value beads, a divider and 2 upper beads of 5 times the single bead’s value. There is also a Japanese abacus that’ similar to the Chinese abacus but has only 4 single value beads and 1 bead of 5 time the single value].

I’m doing my best with my grandson’s toy abacus. It’s hoped that I do well rather than further confusing my grandson.

Respectfully, Supposn

Koreans are quite obsessed with education and that is a subject of serious social issue debate in Korea. Those students are probably excelling due to that culture of education being passed on. In Korea, it's not uncommon for Korean children to go to school, then tutoring after, followed by attending a private schooling academy, followed by self study. It's not unusual for Korean children to be doing something related to education from the time they wake up to 9-10 in the evening.

In other words...it has nothing to do with an abacus, and everything to do with a culture that values education (and educational background) above everything else.

If you are interested in how Korean education works, here are some links. I don't think it's a system to copy, but there are bits and pieces of it that are useful for parents to employ here in the states.

A documentary about Korean High School | About the Film
Education in South Korea - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Lutherf]

If I remember correctly we were taught about "the number line" before we did anything else and I'm pretty sure that it only went to 10. The concepts of addition and subtraction came at pretty much the same time as they are rather intuitive. That being said, we had to be proficient in simple addition and subtraction before we went on to word problems and judging whether a given solution was logical or not.

 

[clownboy]

Korean? It's probably not the abacus but this:
Chisanbop - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This isn't just for counting but can do rapid addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.