You have purchased Accelerated Individualized Mastery (AIM) for Addition and Subtraction and now you’re trying to figure out “What do I do”? This program is designed for an older student who has not committed their math facts to memory. Its purpose is to replace the ineffective strategies of counting with more effective fact mastery. You may be like many parents we talk to who report themselves as weak in fact mastery. You may be the parent who has all the facts down cold and you can’t understand why your student doesn’t have their facts committed to memory. Do you see yourself as either one of those parents? The good news is AIM for Addition and Subtraction is designed for both kinds of families. Let’s talk about how to address these issues, depending on which parent you are, and what your student’s needs are.
The Instructional Videos are Vital
There are a series of videos called “AIM for Success” that guide you toward your first steps. They’re not just important; they are vital to your success in this program. When you first log into your digital pack make sure that you take the time to watch and digest the AIM for Success videos. You may see yourself in me, a mom who consults the Swedish furniture company directions, only when the “put together” doesn’t go well. In this instance, let me encourage you NOT to be me – Those videos will help you set expectations; they’ll help you know what to do with the program; they’ll help guide you through the process in a very important way.
Have your student watch the AIM for Success videos with you – they’ll hear some things you may miss and vice versa, so consider this a collaborative effort. The purpose of this math intervention is to replace unsuccessful counting behaviors and to do that successfully, you and your student need to work through the AIM for Addition and Subtraction plan on a daily basis. Please note: Students cannot successfully accomplish the goals of the program on their own. If you cannot find the time to work with your student 10-20 minutes a day, let me encourage you to return the program. There is no sense for both of you to be frustrated.
Read the Resource Guide
Your next piece of homework is to take the time to read the Resource Guide. I know in this day and age we are not accustomed to reading things that take some time. But you invested in AIM for Addition and Subtraction. Reading the Resource Guide is a tremendous investment of your time and will help you truly understand the four steps you will walk your student through in each lesson.
Let’s return briefly to those two types of parents I discussed earlier. Those who are weak in their own fact recall have a golden opportunity to model for their student the powerful discipline of continuing to learn. I encourage you to take the AIM for Addition and Subtraction program and work with it alongside your student. There is nothing more powerful than modeling for your student a new learning experience and how awesome it will be if both of you walk away with better fact mastery.
Maybe you’re the other parent that I described. The parent who has their facts nailed cold has a powerful opportunity to be your student’s best cheerleader. For you, I suggest you set aside your own successes and see this process through your student’s eyes. Be encouraging; be there to help them work through the lessons on a daily basis until they begin to see success. Experience tells us that success breeds success. What you may not see is that your student may feel defeated when they approach mathematics.
Changing this one aspect can change their whole attitude. Be very excited and encouraged about the fact that you’re going to change your student’s math experience for the better.
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