Helping Your Children Make Sense of Mathematics

 

Don't worry if you've forgotten some of the math you learned in school or if your child is learning the math in a different way than you did.  You don't need to always understand the math or be able to do it yourself to be able to help your child.  Here is what you can do:

• Communicate regularly with your child's teacher.

• Encourage problem solving and independent thinking skills.

• Share the math you do at work and home everyday with your child.

• Use references from notes and previous classwork in your child's binder

 

Set the Stage

• Provide a quiet, well-lit area for your child to study.

• Set aside 30 minutes a day to work on math.

• Make sure your child has: math book, class notes, pencil & paper, homework assignment in their agenda

 

Getting Started

• What is the question asking?

• What do you already know?

• How can you get the information?

• What terms do you understand/not understand?

• What similar problems have you solved that would help?

 

While Working

• How can you organize the information?

• Can you make a drawing (model) to explain your thinking?

• What are other possibilities?

• What would happen if...?

• Can you describe an approach (strategy) you can use to solve this?

• What do you need to do next?

• Do you see any patterns or relationships that will help you solve this?

• How does this relate...?

• Can you make a prediction?

• What did you...?

• What assumptions are you making?

 

Reflecting about the Solution

• How do you know your solution (conclusion) is reasonable?

• How did you arrive at your answer?

• How can you convince me your answer makes sense?

• What did you try that did not work?

• Has the question been answered?

• Can the explanation be made clearer?

 

Responding

• Tell me more.

• Can you explain it in a different way?

• Is there another possibility or strategy that would work?

• Is there a more efficient strategy?

• Help me understand this part...

 

Nothing Works!

• Call a "study buddy."

• Write a question to ask your teacher about the problem.

• Try to answer everything you can.

• Show your work on the problem up to the point where you became confused.

• Come in for morning help.