Are your youngsters battling math information? Don’t fear: you’re not alone! Each homeschool mother I do know has confronted this problem sooner or later. However fortunately, there’s a simple and enjoyable reply to assist your baby study math information rapidly – the Math-U-See AIM program! Let me let you know all about it.

We now have tried numerous issues for math information with our youngsters. For probably the most half, I haven’t fearful an excessive amount of about whether or not they know them tremendous properly. I simply give them some light help instruments and, over time, they memorize them. Nevertheless, with two of my kids, their lack of math reality recall turned a supply of frustration for them, inflicting math issues to take longer and have many extra errors than they’d in any other case. The Math-U-See AIM program was an important possibility with the hands-on function of the blocks, so we determined to offer it a attempt. 

Disclosure: *This publish might embrace affiliate hyperlinks. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn the disclosures and phrases for extra info.

(At my request, Math-U-See despatched me the AIM program ranges in trade for a evaluate. All opinions are my very own.)

What’s AIM (Accelerated Individualized Mastery)

AIM (Accelerated Individualized Mastery) is a manipulatives-based program that teaches mastery of math information. There’s one stage for addition and subtraction and one other for multiplication with a bridge to division.

The purpose of the Math-U-See AIM program is to assist college students overcome the counting behavior and know their math information chilly. Doing so helps make determining math issues simpler and quicker, with fewer errors and frustration because of this. 

While you buy a stage of the AIM program, right here’s what you get:

• AIM Useful resource Information (mainly the instructor handbook) with introduction data and lesson instruction
• Math-U-See’s signature blocks for hands-on studying
• Coloured pencils to match the block colours
• Posters with visible reminders of the methods they study
• Flash playing cards utilized in classes and math reality evaluate 
• Entry to the AIM Digital Pack, the place you could find the lesson movies, evaluation sheets, and extra sources and concepts. 

How the Math-U-See AIM Program Works

The concept behind the Math-U-See AIM program is that it helps college students study math information utilizing methods based mostly on quantity relationships and reasoning. Doing so helps college students cement the mathematics information for faster recall. This system makes use of a wide range of studying types and permits college students to deal with math information work with out distractions. 

AIM is right for teenagers who’ve labored by way of math to some extent however didn’t sufficiently study their math information. Math-U-See says it’s for teenagers 8 and up who haven’t but mastered their information. In case your baby tends to rely upon counting methods (fingers, tally marks, and many others.) and struggles to handle extra advanced math as a result of they can’t rapidly and confidently recall math information, then AIM could also be an ideal match for them.

Math-U-See recommends that once you work by way of the AIM program together with your baby, you put aside different math work and focus solely on the mathematics information. Relying in your baby, this could take as quick or so long as wanted. It’s excellent for summer time studying, or you are able to do what we did and take a break from different classes to deal with math information.

First, the coed takes an evaluation to see which math information they already know. You employ it as a monitoring chart to work on the mathematics information they’re mastering. As they study the mathematics information, right here is the method they use:

• Construct it – use the blocks to construct the mathematics information.
• Write it – write out the mathematics information on paper or a white board.
• Say it – say the mathematics information out loud.
• Draw it – ultimately, they begin drawing the mathematics information as a substitute of constructing them, utilizing the coloured pencils to attract line representations of the manipulative blocks used within the math information.
• Grasp it (3 occasions) – the coed ought to be capable to recall the mathematics information rapidly three separate occasions to think about it mastered. The flashcards have little stars to mark on them to see the place they’re on this course of.
• Overview it – work in evaluate to maintain math information stable.

The purpose is to have the ability to get by way of all the mathematics information and be capable to do a ultimate evaluation with all information mastered. 

Our Expertise with Math-U-See’s AIM (As a Lazy Consumer) 

We used the Addition and Subtraction stage for one among my sons, who has dyslexia and indicators of dyscalculia. We used the multiplication stage with one among my daughters. 

Now, I’m a fairly busy mama who tends to only soar into curriculum with out paying a lot consideration to instructor textual content. At first, I used to be a bit overwhelmed by the useful resource e book / instructor information, the digital sources, the flashcards, and many others. I used to be fearful I’d turn into buried in particulars I couldn’t sustain with and abandon ship. Nevertheless, it was much more simple than I assumed at first. Right here’s what helped me: 

• Watch the intro movies and some lesson movies first. 
• Turn out to be accustomed to the method I described above (construct it, write it, say it, draw it, grasp it, evaluate it)
• Have my pupil take the evaluation to determine the place to begin 
• Work by way of the teachings one after the other, utilizing the method for the mathematics information in every lesson till mastered
• Proceed evaluate utilizing flashcards and different evaluate actions

That’s it! The classes and critiques solely took a couple of minutes every day, so it wasn’t one thing my youngsters complained about.

Apart from the flashcards, we used the AIM Digital Pack most. It contained printable assessments, lesson movies, and additional concepts and sources for training math information. The AIM Digital Pack additionally consists of enjoyable options like digital manipulative, worksheet mills, and on-line drills, however I by no means fairly remembered to make use of them. What we did use was adequate and labored properly! I admit I didn’t use the posters and hardly used the useful resource information / instructor e book in any respect aside from skimming it at first to get a deal with on the method. However I’m glad these supplies had been there if I wanted extra help.

Utilizing AIM with Dyslexic College students

Given a few of his studying challenges, my son and I hit some roadblocks alongside the best way. I observed that generally he’d fully neglect ALL his math information. Typically, he’d lose a minimum of a pair and we’d need to put them again into the to-master pile.

At first, this was discouraging to each of us. However after speaking with the AMAZING Math-U-See help workers, I discovered that that is simply a part of how my distinctive kiddo processes these items. They gave me nice suggestions and encouragement to maintain him optimistic and motivated to maintain going.

Right here’s what we did: 

• Helped him perceive how he learns – I talked with him about how he learns in a spiral slightly than a straight line. Typically his mind will determine it’s not taking part in and neglect all of the issues. That’s okay… we’ll simply attempt once more tomorrow and it’ll in all probability be again! There can even be what really feel like ups and downs generally, however he can take coronary heart realizing he’s moving into the fitting path. The photograph under reveals the spiral I drew once I defined this. We ended up discussing (and drawing) this many occasions, and it actually helped him perceive and never stress over it. 
• Used artistic and constant evaluate – Making the most of the supplemental evaluate actions advised by Math-U-See was useful, equivalent to utilizing taking part in playing cards. We additionally at all times had a small pile of flashcards available for evaluate that we might add and take away as wanted. I saved it close by, and we had a recreation… each time he requested for one thing that day he needed to “give me three,” which meant do three of the evaluate flashcards with me.  He cherished it. 🙂 
• Re-watched lesson movies as wanted – Typically he’d type of lose the lesson completely, and we’d return and try this lesson once more, going by way of the entire mastery course of. It was good to have the AIM Digital Pack obtainable to make {that a} fast and straightforward job. 

My son has grown in leaps and bounds with exhibiting himself grace and being persistent in studying his math information. Doing so helped him tremendously in his different math work as a result of it not slows him down. Together with his studying challenges, he generally nonetheless “loses” a few of his information or the methods he discovered. So, whereas my different kids who use this program might full it and be achieved, for now, we’ve merely made AIM an ongoing a part of his math and our evaluate time collectively. 

I’m grateful for a useful resource that’s simple, environment friendly, and helps construct my son’s confidence. He is ready to sort out different math issues now with much less frustration and delay. Often I’ll see him reverting to the counting/tallying, and I simply remind him of the methods and math information he discovered, including some evaluate if wanted. 

Backside Line on the Math-U-See AIM Program

The Math-U-See AIM program has labored properly for us, particularly for my kiddo who wanted additional help. As soon as I obtained accustomed to this system, and with the assistance of Math-U-See help when questions got here up, we discovered it to be a really useful addition to our homeschool curriculum! 

Listed here are the 2 issues I respect most about AIM: 

• Teaches with a number of studying types – kinesthetic (constructing with blocks, evaluate video games, drawing), visible (flashcards and movies), auditory (saying the information and listening to movies)
• Supplies an efficient course of and evaluate system – That is the gem of this system, I feel. It really works! Setting apart different math work whilst you undergo it ensures which you could actually deal with it and get by way of it as rapidly as doable. Then you may take pleasure in the advantages of faster and extra correct math reality recall! 

Let me know when you’ve got any questions on how we used the Math-U-See AIM program!

~ Tauna

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