Tina is faithfully following in her mother’s footsteps as Maria followed in mine–tripping over math problems.
She’s working on the names of the numbers in English and French, and the relationships between the numbers.
During a mini study session I can see that, though motivated, Tina’s getting tired. Can’t say I blame her. I leave for a few minutes, telling her she can stop or continue working, whichever she wishes.
When I return, Tina’s deep in thought. She’s written the numbers 1 to 10, and then by 10s to 100, on a chart and is pondering their relationship. Maria has shown her how they relate before, and now, as Tina processes this information on her own, it’s starting to make sense.
We know that brain studies show that we need processing time for information to make sense.
What intrigues me is that at the age of eight, Tina’s into metacognition–learning how she learns.
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” (Adapted from a novel by Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie)
Grandma's Treasures 