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HOW TO MAKE THE FLASHMASTER WORK BEST
FOR YOUR STUDENT AND YOU
The following suggestions are intended to make your student's
learning experience and your supervisory experience fast, easy and
productive.
1.
Use your common sense
in using the FlashMaster and in deciding whether and to what extent to
follow these suggestions. Only
you know your student's particular circumstances and are in a position
to observe and listen to him or her using the FlashMaster.
2.
Self-confidence in
arithmetic is much more important than speedy mastery of arithmetic
tables.
When in doubt, err on the side of making your student's first
experiences with the FlashMaster too easy, too brief and too relaxed.
Give your student plenty of time to get used to the FlashMaster
(perhaps in your absence).
3.
The FlashMaster is not designed to explain the concepts of
addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Depending on the student, a lot or a little time may need to be
spent introducing these concepts before beginning with the FlashMaster.
4. Follow the
suggestions labeled "Important" and "Also Important"
on the front cover of this Guide.
5.
Read this manual and simultaneously try out what it explains on
the FlashMaster. See how
easy and/or challenging the FlashMaster's activities can be. Try to get a sense for how your student will feel using it.
6.
If you are not the student's teacher, consider asking the teacher
for suggestions about using the FlashMaster.
But remember Suggestion #1 above.
7.
Decide which arithmetic operation your student should focus on
first. Perhaps, starting
with addition will make sense. On
the other hand, if your student is currently working on multiplication
in school, you might want to start with it and focus on completely
mastering addition (for example) only when your student is doing well in
multiplication. In general, concentrate on one operation at a time.
8.
Decide which "learning activities" your student should
use and which not.
a.
The "Table: In
Order" activity is primarily for introducing a new arithmetic
"table".
b.
The "Table: No
Order" activity is primarily for further practicing a particular
"table".
c.
Often the (untimed) "Table" activities will be, or
soon become, insufficiently challenging, especially the "Table:
In Order" activity.
d.
The "Practice" activity is the FlashMaster's general
purpose "instructional" activity.
It should be very helpful to many students but may not be
appropriate for a very advanced student who clearly needs to work only
on speed.
e.
The "Test" and "Flashcards" activities
are best for concentrating on speed since they minimize time spent on
instructional feedback.
f.
In many cases, a day's session with the FlashMaster should
include "Practice" activities followed by one or both of the
"Test" and "Flashcards" activities.
g.
The "Special Problems" activity should almost
always be used at the end of a session to review problems
"missed" in other activities during the session.
But remember: The
FlashMaster will not store missed problems if any “entered” problem
is in its memory.
9.
Decide which "Tables" or "Levels" are
initially appropriate for your student.
Depending on her or his ability in the arithmetic operation
selected, you may want to use one of the activities to diagnose where
your student should start. Err
on the side of beginning with a "Table" number or
"Level" number that is too low.
10.
In the case of the "Practice", "Test" or
"Special Problems" activity, decide which per-activity Time
Limit is
appropriate for your student to start with.
When
in doubt, use a shorter one. If your student has a
substantial problem concentrating, try a shorter Time Limit.
Eventually (for instance, in fifth grade), many students should
be able to deal successfully with a 180-second per-activity Time Limit
for testing purposes.
But, for example, two activities of 90 seconds each may often be
more productive from a learning standpoint than one of 180 seconds.
11.
In the case of the "Flashcards" activity, decide which per-problem
Time Limit is
appropriate for your student to start with.
When
in doubt, use a longer one. If your student seems
panicked by the one selected, pick a significantly longer one.
As your student's comfort level permits (with practice, age,
etc.), this Time Limit can gradually be shortened—perhaps even to one
second (especially, once your student has mastered an appropriate
number-typing technique).
12.
If the FlashMaster's displaying of the countdown of Time Limits
seems to panic your student, try “hiding” the displaying of the
countdown by pushing the "Hide or Show: Countdown of Time Limit" key.
13.
In the case of the "Flashcards" activity, it may make
sense to change the number of problems presented per activity from 30
(the "default" number for the activity) to a lower or higher
number—depending on the ability and attention span of the student, the
length of the selected per-problem Time Limit, etc.
14.
Once a student is accustomed to the FlashMaster, it may often
make sense to begin practicing more difficult problems before completely
mastering easier ones.
15.
Accuracy is one of two essential criteria for determining whether
a student has "mastered" a certain group of
math facts (for
instance, multiplication tables from "0´0"
through "10´10").
Normally, an unhurried student who has attained
"mastery" should be able to respond with 100% accuracy from
memory—without calculating. For
instance, the student should know
that 9´5 equals 45 and not need to reason, for instance, that 10´5
equals 50 and that 50-5 equals 45.
16.
Speed is the second of the two components of "mastery”.
Some students are capable of achieving more speed than others.
For instance, many students probably should not even seriously
attempt the "Flashcards" activity when it is set for 80
multiplication problems in Level 9 and for a per-problem Time Limit of
only one second.
17.
The FlashMaster presents a
golden opportunity for a child to learn that gratifying accomplishments
can sometimes be achieved through steady but relatively
"painless" effort. Primarily
because a child's work on the FlashMaster is ultimately so gratifying to
the child and so easy and convenient for a parent to
"enforce", the FlashMaster also presents a golden opportunity
for the parent and child to improve their "working
relationship." To
maximize the probability of capitalizing on these opportunities:
a.
Keep daily sessions with the FlashMaster short.
How much daily practice should be required outside of school will
depend on many factors—but normally
no more
than 10 minutes of conscientious practice per day
and no
more than five
days per week.
b.
Give your child a reliable
incentive to complete each assignment promptly and conscientiously.
In some cases, occasionally reminding a child of the importance
of regular practice may suffice. In
other cases, conscientious completion of the daily session might be made
a prerequisite to a child's later engaging in a desired recreational
activity (for example, playing with a video game).
Incentives that take effect almost immediately often are more
effective than postponed larger ones.
c.
The more you can get your child in the habit of doing assignments
promptly, the happier both of you will be, and the less time and energy
will be wasted "discussing" (or even silently hoping for)
possible exceptions. Remember:
You will be asking for no more than 10 minutes of conscientious
effort.
d.
Normally, have your child do assignments while sitting at a desk
or table.
e.
When your child completes an assignment, she or he should write
the results on a form like the one included on page 27 of this Guide. (In the classroom, students can exchange FlashMasters and use
similar forms to record each other's results.)
f.
Initially, whenever
practical, you should then have your child immediately bring you the
form and the FlashMaster so you can review the results—on the form, or
on the FlashMaster (by using the "SEE RESULTS" key), or on
both to insure that results are being recorded appropriately.
Later, "spot
checking" results will probably suffice.
g.
Be sure to praise your child generously for efforts and progress
made.
h.
But if it is clear
that "learning activities" have not been done conscientiously,
when appropriate, require that those particular activities be properly
and promptly redone.
i.
Occasionally, before your child’s missed problems are erased
from the FlashMaster, do a "Special Problems" activity
yourself to see which ones they are.
j.
As soon as your child has completed an assignment conscientiously
and recorded the results on a Record of Assignments and Results (like
the one on page 27) and you have had an opportunity to review the
results, normally both the "Erase: Results" key and
the "Erase: Missed and
"Entered" Problems" key should be pushed.
k.
You should then give your child the next assignment to write on
the Record of Assignments and Results.
Eventually, you will probably be able to have him or her
formulate most of his or her own assignments.
l.
Sometimes it makes sense to have your child do his or her
assignment in your presence—for instance, in the kitchen while you are
preparing dinner.
m.
Often humor is a help. Friendly
competition can be too, but be careful—it can backfire.
n.
The educational benefit and self-confidence that your student derives
from her or his experience with the FlashMaster will be greatly enhanced
if you make the most of her or his time and effort—by reading this
Guide carefully and by being organized and consistent in your very
important role as supervisor. The
FlashMaster is designed to make this supervisory role extremely easy,
convenient and fast. If
you perform it conscientiously, your student will benefit
tremendously—not only from your supervision, but also from your
example.
“Math
Facts” =
Multiplication Tables, Division Tables, Addition Tables, and Subtraction Tables
The FlashMaster is the key to
multiplication table
mastery!
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