Most people have heard of Montessori, but often they are not sure what it’s all about. The word Montessori refers both to a person and a method of education. Dr. Maria Montessori (1870-1952) was an Italian physician and educator. She is also the … [Read more...] about Dr. Cotter on RightStart and Montessori
AL Abacus
Dr. Cotter on Flashcards
Flash cards are not a good way to drill the facts. Many adults, because they could not respond fast enough to flash cards or time tests as a child, became convinced that they have no math “ability.” These people are the ones with math anxiety – … [Read more...] about Dr. Cotter on Flashcards
Dr. Cotter on Manipulatives
When teaching math to a child, there are three important questions to consider: Are manipulatives necessary for teaching math? What is the purpose of manipulatives? Are some manipulatives better than others? First of all, let's define … [Read more...] about Dr. Cotter on Manipulatives
2023 Summer Game #10: Mental Addition
One of the many aspects that drew me to RightStart™ Math was the idea of my children learning how to do mental math. Growing up, the whole idea of mental math was fascinating to me, but it was not encouraged. And, to be honest, I really doubted my … [Read more...] about 2023 Summer Game #10: Mental Addition
2023 Summer Game #8: Robbie’s Bead Trading
My oldest child, Robbie, wants to be a game inventor when he grows up. He’s invented quite a few games, but the majority of them aren’t really math games. They’re heavy on health and damage stats, power-ups, and battles between different cards.... … [Read more...] about 2023 Summer Game #8: Robbie’s Bead Trading
2023 Summer Game #1: Fish at the Dump
When I started using RightStart Math and we’d play the game Go to The Dump, game A3 in the Math Card Games book, I apparently didn’t read the directions well and have come to realize we were really playing Fish at The Dump, game A5 in the Math Card … [Read more...] about 2023 Summer Game #1: Fish at the Dump
