Math facts often come naturally for children who tend to be more left brain dominant – the side of the brain that deals with logic, analysis, and linear thought. Learning specialist Dianne Craft has found that 80% of struggling learners are right brain dominant, due to the fact that most curriculum and learning settings are oriented toward the left-brain oriented individual. Researchers at the University of Minnesota estimate that 5-10% of children suffer from dyscalculia, a learning disorder that inhibits the basic understanding of numerical and arithmetic concepts. However, it is likely that learning disorders are not the main cause behind the typical child having trouble with math.įor a large majority of children who find arithmetic difficult, it is simply a matter of how the child processes information. Yet often homeschoolers find that at least one child has difficulty with math, and that they have hit a wall. Arithmetic operations are foundational to future math learning, so it is critical that kids master math facts. A visual learner will remember the image on the card intact as though his brain snapped a picture of the content.While these facts might seem like no-brainers to most of us, many children struggle mightily to learn, memorize, and understand basic arithmetic. Anyone can draw stick figures and also little symbols that are visual reminders of the content. If your child is an active learner, engaging his hands in making his own flashcards will do wonders. Note that the a’s in Trajan became his eyes while the j became his nose. ![]() ![]() On this card, you can plainly see the roads and bridge that Trajan built, the bank holding the funds for the poor, and his prominent heart reminding us of his kind heart. Dacia was a rich country that was found north of the Danube River. This card uses the same facts, but since we used images and a body motion (hand on ones heart to signal Trajan’s kindheartedness) it becomes super easy to remember the name and what goes with it. Here is an illustration of a fun flashcard You still have to somehow relate all the facts together and recall them when needed. The question becomes, how do I group those particulars around the name Trajan, when I am also learning about Tiberius or Augustus or Caligula, and their cronies? This is the failing of normal flashcards. Here is an illustration of a boring flashcard Here is an illustration of a boring flashcard.This one is about Trajan, a Roman Emperor, and some facts about him. This is so you can try and recall the factoid first and can flip the card over to see if you got the answer right. Learning the Roman emperors and what they were known forĪ commonplace flashcard will have one item on the front and the matching factoid(s) on the reverse side.Learning philosophers and their signature area of belief. ![]() ![]() Learning new vocabulary words and their meanings.Or take the times I got to a test thinking I was well prepared, only to glaze over, leaving me staring at a blank test paper. When I was in school, I was somehow able to “memorize” content this way for tests – but honestly? Usually, the minute my brain spilled its crammed contents out onto the test page, my memory was wiped clean. The outcome of this sort of study varies wildly from child to child. Where they get a bad rap is when they are used for trying to drill and cram for a test, using stark, boring memorization.
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