[blindkid] timed math facts

[Merry-Noel Chamberlain]

Joy,
It seems that for a blind student to do a "Math Mad Minute" in less than a minute, you need three people... One to read the math problem, one to answer the problems and one to write the answer down!  There is probably no way that the reader can also be the scribe in doing it in less than a minute (depending on the number of math problems.)  Now, if the reader/scribe had 30 extra seconds then maybe it can be done within that amount of time but it is not the fault of the student if it can't be read and written in less than a minute.  
 
I would suggest, do it orally and mark the time down on how long it took when having one person being the reader and scribe.  Perhaps try to beat that time with each attempt.  With time, the 'team' (student and reader/scribe) will be able to come up with an average amout of time it takes to do the "mad minute". The other option is for her to simply Braille her answers and mark the amount of time it took her to complete the problems & try to beat it the next time.  Again, coming up with an average time and that average time can be her "minute" marker.  I think either of these options would be fair considering the medium choices.
 
Merry-Noel Chamberlain,  MA 
TVI, NOMCT    

--- On Wed, 4/21/10, Joy Orton <ortonsmom at gmail.com> wrote:


From: Joy Orton <ortonsmom at gmail.com>
Subject: [blindkid] timed math facts
To: "NFB Blindkid list" <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Date: Wednesday, April 21, 2010, 9:31 PM


Hello friends,
What have your experiences been with timed sets of math facts?

My daughter brought home a "mad minute" paper today. We have had sheets with
the same name and format in the past, but what she said today was different..
"I need to be able to finish in one minute. That means I know my facts."

I worked with her orally--I read the problem, she said the answer, I wrote
the answer--and completed 17 facts in one minute and 19 facts in the second
minute. On the Perkins braillewriter, she finished 12 problems in a minute,
two tries in a row. I have sent her to work on her audible "Turbo Twist"
math game.

Anybody want to chime in on this? It seems to me we have a difference of
medium. I don't know if the time expectation is "fair," but I also don't
want her to have the problem of, "Oh, you only have to do half of the work."

Joy Orton
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