Homeschoolers have an advantage in teaching math: As our students grow, our own understanding of math grows with them because we see how the ideas build on each other.
This is especially true for those of us with large families. We pass through the progression of concepts with each student, and every pass lays down another layer in our own minds.
If you’d like to short-cut that process, check out Graham Fletcher’s Making Sense of Elementary Math video series. He’ll walk you through the topics, showing how manipulatives help build early concepts and gradually give way to abstract calculations.
“Understanding the vertical progression of mathematics is really important in the conceptual development of everyone’s understanding. This whole Making Sense Series has truly forced me to be a better teacher.”
— Graham Fletcher
The Progression of Addition and Subtraction
The Progression of Addition and Subtraction by Graham Fletcher.
The Progression of Multiplication
The Progression of Multiplication by Graham Fletcher.
The Progression of Division
The Progression of Division by Graham Fletcher.
If you enjoyed these videos, be sure to follow Graham’s blog Questioning My Metacognition. He’s working on the progression of fractions next….
Update: The Progression of Fractions
The Progression of Fractions by Graham Fletcher.
Fractions are the gatekeeper of algebraic thinking and probably a big reason why we suffer from arithmophobia as a society. I’m hoping this progression helps provide some relief and courage moving forward. Let’s make sense of fractions together.
— Graham Fletcher
CREDITS: “Stairs!” photo by Richard Leeming (CC BY 2.0, text added) via Flickr.
Denise Gaskins' Let's Play Math 