Math Only Checklist | Gideon Math & Reading Programs

Parents, Keep Calm and Carry On

You may have started encountering some resistance from your child about doing the daily Gideon work.

Be sure to check these latest items on your checklist. Here are the previous sections of the checklist to review:

Just do it – Every day! / Speed + Accuracy = Math Mastery / Practice Makes Perfect.

7) Communicate any concerns with your center director. We are excited to work with your student! Feel free at anytime to call or email questions about your child’s progress. Are you struggling to get the work done each day? Read #8 below, and/or talk to your director about adding an extra weekly center visit (for an extra charge).

8) Communicate to your child that YOU are always in charge. Be ready to encourage your student on those days he may resist completing his work. Never allow your child to be disrespectful to you. Those bad habits will become difficult to break. As school homework is not optional, neither should Gideon work be. Remember that Gideon is an investment for his future!

Children are still just children and will usually make childish decisions. They will likely want TV all night and candy for dinner if given the choice. They will also choose no extra homework, even if it is really needed. What's a parent to do? You, as the parent, should decide what YOU value and what YOU want for your child. If Gideon fits into YOUR decision, great! Do not let your child complain (or cry) his way out of it. Adults know how important math and reading skills are later in life and why they need to be mastered now. Children do not have this foresight. You may need to remove a favorite item or activity until your child is motivated to behave, but you will be glad to have remained in control. If you need support, review our parenting resources below, read our recommended parenting book, and ask for advice from your center director.

Practice Makes Perfect

Math Only Checklist, Secrets to Success

Here’s the latest item for your checklist. It is such an important, crucial step that we want you to just focus on it this week.

Here are the 1st and 2nd sections of the checklist if you’d like to review.

6) Be patient with new concepts and/or repetitions of booklets. Repetition, if necessary, is so important to prepare for more advanced learning as well as standardized testing. While mastering a skill, sometimes extra practice is needed. Does anyone become proficient scoring soccer goals during the first practice? Likely not! Addition facts should be treated the same way. Mastering a skill with confidence is different than simply understanding how to do it. While you may become frustrated if your child struggles to make the time or mistake standards, remember we are solidifying the foundation of this ‘house’. We cannot build the second floor if the first is not finished. The entire structure could collapse later. To help speed things along, you can do extra oral fact drills. It is vital to home grade and have your student complete corrections before the next day’s work.

Some students may want to stop the program when the work becomes more challenging. This is the most important time to encourage and persevere. It is better to learn and master new topics at Gideon to stay a step ahead with no school grades or pressure.

Speed + Accuracy = Math Mastery

Math Only Checklist, Secrets to Success

Here are two more of our 10 Secrets to Success! Here is last week’s post “Just Do It” in case you wanted to review.

4) Be on time and do not be rushed for center visits. We want to offer you the very best service which includes keeping the student to teacher ratios we promise. Being late for an appointment may result in a reschedule. If you are in a rush to leave, your child may not be able to complete all corrections or receive explanation for a new concept.

5) Practice oral facts DAILY by having your student just say the answers from the math drill booklet’s front inside cover.

The best way for your child to make our time standards in math is by practicing the oral fact columns several times a day. Go down and back up each column. The goal is listed on the page, usually about 10 seconds each way. This is an excellent warm-up for the written pages.

SPEED + ACCURACY = MATH MASTERY

Why does the speed matter? While your student may well be able to count out to the correct answer, we are aiming for mastery which is memorization of the four basic operations. Memorization leads to fluency that is demonstrated through speed. Just like piano and sports, we practice the basics until they become second nature. This frees up working memory to concentrate on learning new concepts. Algebra becomes difficult when the pathway for 8 + 4 = 12 hasn’t been clearly established in the brain.

Just Do It – Every Day

Math Only Checklist, Secrets to Success

Welcome! We are so glad you have chosen Gideon to achieve your child’s math goals.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sending you items from our 10 Secrets to Gideon Success Checklist.

These will help your child make the BEST progress and gain the MOST confidence in math. Let’s get started!

1) Come to class once or twice a week. We need to monitor your child’s progression, answer any questions, make sure all corrections are understood, and provide encouragement to you and your family. We are your support system.

2) Do the Gideon homework each day. Make Gideon a priority before scheduling TV time or other activities. Each subject should only take about 15 minutes or less per day. Gideon works best when the booklets are done at home five days and at the center two days each week. Gideon is very much like piano practice. Your child’s progress depends on this daily routine. Taking days off on a regular basis will hamper advancement. The recommended number of pages is clearly marked on the cover for each booklet. Please ensure the work has actually been done. Be consistent!

3) Grade your child’s math drill work that is done at home each day. Then ensure the child has corrected any mistakes afterwards. Homegrading is quick and easy with our provided answer keys in the middle of each booklet. This gives your child the immediate feedback to learn from mistakes by doing corrections while the problems are still fresh. Students tend to be more focused and accurate knowing their work will be graded afterwards. Also, this is a good way to monitor and show interest in your child’s Gideon progress. You do not need to home grade any other booklets beyond the math drill. All others (reading, grammar, and math word problems) will be graded and corrected at the center. Generally, it is your child’s responsibility to complete this work independent of parent involvement in order to build a strong foundation.