How Much Time Should Students Spend on Math Each Day?
One of several arguments advanced by home school educators regarding the efficiency of the Saxon math curriculum is that from Math 54 through Advanced Mathematics the courses require too much time to complete the daily assignment of thirty problems. Their solution to this often takes one of two approaches. Either they allow the student to take shortcuts to reduce the time spent on daily assignments, or they find another math curriculum that takes less time – you know – you’ve heard them say, “We found another math curriculum that is more fun, easier, and it does not require so much time.”
In news articles published several years ago in November and December of 2020, I addressed some of the ramifications of taking these shortcuts when using John Saxon’s math books. In these articles, I described in detail the effects upon students who used some or all of them, so I will not go over them again here. I would ask you to read those two newsletters if you have not already done so. What I want to discuss here is what may be causing the excessive amount of time taken by the students and also, what constitutes excessive time to an educator who taught in a public classroom using Saxon math books for more than a decade.
While I was teaching high school mathematics in a rural Oklahoma high school, I would often go and watch my students who were on the the high school track, basketball, or football teams during their practice sessions after school. I was able to chat with the mothers and fathers who were also watching these practices. This one-on-one conversation often gave me an insight into their priorities regarding their children’s education.
While they sometimes complained about the rigors of my math classes, they never once complained about the length of time their sons and daughters were out on the field in the heat or cold – or on the basketball court – practicing – after just spending six academic hours in the classroom. In fact, when coaches were forced to cancel a practice for one reason or another, some of the parents would vocally complain that the practices should continue. They expressed concern that skipping practice would take the “edge” off their son or daughter’s playing ability and inhibit their athletic “sharpness” for the next game.
Strange then that some parents would complain the 45 – 60 minutes spent each day on mathematics “practice” would be excessive – and more unusual – that they would seek an easier course of action. They never discussed the ramifications that doing so might take the “edge” off their child’s math “sharpness” for the next math course or the state mandated math test. I never heard the high school parents complain about watching the tough daily drills and practices run by the coaches. I never heard a parent complain about the hour spent each day by the students diligently practicing their piano lessons, or having to come in before school early each day to spend 45 minutes in the weight room.
At least several times each week I receive email from home school parents who express concern that their son or daughter was taking an inordinate amount of time on their daily math assignment in one of the books from Math 54 through Advanced Mathematics.
The solution to the excessive time spent by students using the Advanced Mathematics textbook is easy to resolve. The solution to that unique situation is explained in a short seven-minute video clip (Click Here to view that video).
I have interacted with several thousand parents and students in the twelve years that I taught mathematics at that rural high school. I have also advised thousands more home school educators and home school students in the succeeding decades after my retirement while serving as one of the Homeschool Curriculum Advisors (for Math 76 through Calculus and Physics) for Saxon Publishers and later for Harcourt-Achieve who bought the company from John’s children. And while every child and home school situation is different, my experiences have shown me that there exist several situations that contribute to excessive time spent on daily work by students, whether home schooled or attending a public or private classroom.
These situations are:
The Student is in The Wrong Level Math Course: If after lesson thirty in any Saxon math book, students continue to receive 80% on the weekly tests, within a maximum of fifty minutes – with no partial credit (all right or all wrong) and no calculator (until Algebra 1), then they are in the correct level Saxon math book. If the test scores are constantly below that or if they fall below a 70-75 on their first five or so tests, then that is a good indication they are in the wrong level Saxon math book. This situation can result from any one or more of the following conditions:
- They did not finish the previous Saxon math book.
- They took shortcuts in the preceding math book.
- Their previous math book was not a Saxon math book.
- They did not take the weekly tests in the previous math book. Instead, they are using the daily grade to determine the student’s level of proficiency.
- The student’s last five tests in the preceding course were well below 80% (minimal mastery).
The Student is Required to Re-do Math Problems from Yesterday’s Lesson: Why do we want students to get 100% on their daily practice for the weekly test? When we grade their daily work and have them go over the ones they missed on the previous day’s assignment, nothing is accomplished except to “academically harass” the students. The daily work reflects nothing but the status of the students’ temporary learning curve. It is the weekly tests and not the daily work that reveal what the student has mastered from the previous weeks and months of work. Not every student masters every concept the day it is introduced, which is why there is a four to five day delay from when the concept is introduced to when it is tested. In the twelve years that I taught John Saxon’s math books in high school, I did not grade one homework paper – but I did grade the weekly tests which reflected what the students had mastered as opposed to their daily work which did not.
Remember, John Saxon’s math books are the only books I am aware of that use weekly tests to evaluate a student’s progress. There are a minimum of twenty or more weekly tests in every one of John’s math books from Math 54 on.
Too Much Time is Spent on The Warm Up Box: From Math 54 through Math 87, there is what used to be called a “Warm Up” box at the top of the first page of every lesson. I recall watching a sixth grade teacher waste almost thirty minutes of class time while three boys took turns giving different opinions as to how the “Problem of The Day” was to be solved – and arguing as to which had the better approach. After class, I reminded the teacher that the original purpose of the box was to get the students settled down and “focused” on math right after the second bell rang. I said to her, “Why not immediately review a couple of the problems from yesterday’s lesson at the start of class for the few who perhaps did not grasp the concept yesterday? Then move immediately to the new lesson.” This process would take about 10 to 20 minutes and would leave students with about 40 minutes of remaining class time to work on their new homework assignment.
NOTE: In any of John Saxon’s math books from Math 54 through Algebra 2, the “A” and “B” students will get their 30 problems done in less than 40-50 minutes. The “C” students will require more than an hour.
The Student is Required to Do All of The Daily Practice Problems: The daily practice problems were created for teachers to use on the blackboard when teaching the lesson’s concept so they did not have to create their own or use the homework problems for demonstrating that concept. Many of the lessons from Math 54 through Math 87 have as many as six or more such problems and if the student understands the concept, they are not necessary. If the student has not yet grasped the concept, having the student do six or more additional practice problems of the same concept will only further frustrate him. Remember, not every student grasps every concept on the day it is introduced. The five minutes spent on review each day is essential to many students.
The Student is a “Dawdler” or a “Dreamer”: There is nothing wrong with being a “Dreamer,” but some students just look for something to keep them from doing what they should be doing. I call these students “Dawdlers.” I recall the first year I taught. I had to constantly tell some students in every class to stop gazing out the window at the cattle grazing in the field outside our classroom – and get on their homework. That summer, I replaced the clear glass window and frame with a frosted glass block window – and in the following eleven years I had absolutely no problem with my “Dawdlers.”
The Student is Slowed by Distractions: Is the student working on the daily assignment in a room filled with activity and younger siblings who are creating all sorts of distractions? Even the strongest math student will be distracted by excessive noise or by constantly being interrupted by younger siblings seeking attention. Did you leave the student alone in his room only to find he was on his cell phone talking or texting with friends or listening to the radio? Or worse, does he have a television or computer in his room and does he use the computer to search the internet for a solution to his math problems or engage in something equally less distracting by watching the television?
Please do not misinterpret what I have discussed here. If you desire to do all of the above and the student takes two hours to complete a daily assignment—and both you and the student are satisfied—then that is acceptable. But if you are using this excessive time as an excuse for your child’s frustration—and as an argument against John Saxon’s textbooks—I would remind you of what John once told a school district that did everything John had asked them not to do. They were now blaming John’s math books for their district’s low math test scores.
John told them “If you want to continue your current practices, get rid of my books and buy someone else’s textbooks to blame.”