My ninth grader has always struggled with math, and since it was something that I had struggled with in my high school years, we slog through it together. He is in Algebra I using the Alpha Omega Switched-On Schoolhouse (SOS) program. Multi-step problems are... well... the problem. Let me say before I go on, one of the features that I really really like about SOS is the fact that they offer a teacher solution web site that gives me what I need to understand and then explain the unit to him. We can do a lesson together and then start on the problems. After doing 8-10 together, we then do them individually; me on the chalkboard, he on his scrap paper to see what steps we take to get to the answer. He inadvertently leaves out 1 or 2 steps. We have tried many strategies to help: memorization, catch phrases, rhymes ... all to no avail. He has come to me on his own to ask for other strategies. One of his suggestions is to start Algebra I over again from the beginning to see if he can relearn (pick up on) some of the basics that he may have missed. That is true desperation for him to ask to start from the beginning again. He really does want to get it. Any trade secrets from the community would be appreciated.
:)De
