2e math formula "cheat sheet"? Is that a thing?

[franklinmom]

My DD, 13 is gifted with ADHD, slow processing speed and poor perceptual reasoning. She's in the advanced math track because she requested it and becase she gets 95th %ile + on all standardized school math testing. Now that she's in Geometry, I think her weaknesses are catching up with her. She routinely mis-remembers formulas, resulting in very low test & quiz scores, even though her private math tutor says she understands the concepts at a high level.

Is it reasonable to ask that she be allowed to have a formula sheet for tests & quizzes? Are there other things I'm not taking into consideration? Thanks in advance!

[bros]

It's worth a shot asking.

[jisp]

Hi,
I raised a 2E slow processing, poor short term memory kid who struggled in school with math despite testing showing he was very strong in mathematical skills. Geometry in particular was difficult because of the way it was taught and the challenge of writing proofs (he is also dyslexic).

I would first try to see if you can have your tutor work on her memory skills so that she is not misremembering the formulas but has a way of learning them so she can use them. There are techniques that can help with that. And if she learns those techniques they will serve her well into her adulthood.

You also might talk to the teacher about open book exams or having access to a cheat sheet. Maybe the teacher can require her to explain (either in writing or verbally) why she used certain formulas just to make sure she is not just plugging in information but really understand the skills.

Finally if you get a lot of resistance it might just be the way math is taught in her school. There are options. Online math classes, Community College classes etc...might in the end be easier for her. Sometimes it is just the way a specific subject is taught and tested that trip up complicated kids.

My own son failed Geometry and Algebra multiple times until in 12th grade he took a community college self-paced Algebra 2 class after getting some cognitive therapy to help him with his memory issues. That same boy went on to college, was a math major, graduated Suma-Cum Laude with all the math prizes, went on to graduate school and is about to finish his doctorate in mathematical biology and go on to do a post-doc. What paved the way to his success was not only his failure but the fact that after failing so much he was taught how to learn in cognitive therapy. And that skill more than any innate intelligence has been the secret weapon to his being able to succeed. If you ask him he will tell you he is not any smarter than the average person but he has good work habits and skills.