Re: [xmca] a minus times a plus

[Phil Chappell <philchappell@mac.com>]

Hi Andy,

I agree with Shirley, and while my experience is with similar students  
facing academic literacy challenges, there are parallels. One to one  
tutoring, done properly, can do all that Shirley says once a good  
assessment of her "needs" is made. If there's anyone around Sydney who  
has a good grasp of the secondary maths curriculum and can work within  
the dynamic assessment model, all the better. That will ensure, as  
David H K warns, that we don't leave the principles dear to people on  
this list behind. My advice to the tutor would be to embed his/her  
mediational support into the school work that she's doing, and going  
beyond that once the tutoring relationship has settled in. This will  
help with the issue that she's getting homework that is simply beyond  
her ability to complete independently, with any form of understanding.  
From my practical experience, it may take a few sessions for the  
relationship to form in a positive sense, but heck, aint that the way  
with all good interpersonal educational encounters?

Cheers,

Phil

From: Shirley Franklin <s.franklin@dsl.pipex.com>
Date: Mon Jun 29 2009 - 02:15:38 PDT
Hi Andy,

Number one is that she needs to get her confidence back! She needs
to gain a sense of real achievement, through actually achieving.

I also think she would benefit from se effective one-2-one tuition
from someone who can work out where she is and knows where she needs
to go and how to get her there. Talking it through with her could do
it. She has a year to catch up/sort it out , doesn't she??

It is difficult to theorise about someone when we don't know the
precise details of the problem. That is why she needs a sensitive
expert!

Shirley

On 28 Jun 2009, at 07:00, Andy Blunden wrote:

> I hope people won't mind if I continue to pick the brains of this
> list on the problem of my niece's progress in maths, or lack of it.
>
> It seems that the suggestion last time - that Marissa may have
> missed important lessons while on holiday - may explain her poor
> performance last year in maths, even though maths has always been
> her weak subject. She has caught up a bit but she is still badly
> behind.
>
> It seems that the issue Mike has raised also applies: she is
> getting homework that seem to presume she know things that in fact
> she doesn't. The only other negative in her school reports is that
> she doesn't participate in class discussion or ask questions when
> she doesn't understand something.
>
> I presume the hesitancy about speaking up is probably the cause of
> failure to correct her maths problems and the teachers giving her
> homework she doesn't understand.
>
> She is now 15 and her maths homework is also beyond her father! :)
> and the crisis of the transition from childhood to adulthood around
> this age, makes it impossible for the father to get Marissa talk
> about it to him, or engage Marissa in games of 20 Questions or
> something to lead her to the joys of asking others. Discussion over
> the dinner table is apparently also unconducive to her participation.
>
> Does anyone have any ideas? I've run out of suggestions. I could
> probably help if I was there, but I'm 1000 km away.
>
> Andy 
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