monday

ABC (African Bible College-private school in Lilongwe where most of the azungu children go) is on their midterm break and so the Ter Haar older children and the Veitch children are home for the week and they often come in to the school to help in the classes. I had one each day in the room to help. It keeps the kids attention better as they are something new and since they know the information maybe it is relevant and they should learn it. one of the new things we learned or are in the process of learning is the doubles +1 facts. Something I’d never really heard of and when I read about I thought that it sounded much more confusing than just learning it but maybe that is because I already know the info. so we’re learning addition…slowly but surely and we have timed minute tests on 25 problems every day. So far we have done the +0, +1, +2 and doubles (4+4, 2+2, etc). so doubles +1 is taking 2+2 and making it 2+3. that is one they can already do but when you get to 7+8 they have problems. The strategy I’m supposed to teach them is to find the smaller number, double it, and then add 1. this seems very odd and round about to me but I’ve noticed that it does work as the kids mostly know their doubles. And it is faster than counting your fingers. Though on Thursday I also noticed that on occasion they were not picking the small number but doubling the big one and adding one. More practice needed…