 What
kind of attitude do you have toward math? Do you believe
that math skills are important job and life skills? Do you
see math as useful in everyday life? Or do you dread doing
things that involve math—figuring out how much new carpet
you'll need, balancing the checkbook, reading the technical
manual that came with the DVD player? How you answer these
questions indicates how you may be influencing your child's
attitudes toward math—and how he approaches learning math.
Although parents can be a positive force in helping children
learn math, they also can undermine their children's math
ability and attitudes by saying things such as: "Math is
hard," or "I'm not surprised you don't do well in math, I
didn't like math either when I was in school," or "I wasn't
very good in math and I'm a success, so don't worry about
doing well." Although you can't make your child like math,
you can encourage her to do so, and you can take steps to
ensure that she learns to appreciate its value both in her
everyday life and in preparing for her future. You might
point out to her how fortunate she is to have the
opportunity to learn mathematics today—when mathematics
knowledge can open the door to so many interesting and
exciting possibilities.
In everyday interactions with children, there are many
things that parents can do—and do without lecturing or
applying pressure—to help children learn to solve problems,
to communicate mathematically and to demonstrate reasoning
abilities. These skills are fundamental to learning
mathematics.
Let's look closely at what it means to be a problem solver,
to communicate mathematically and to demonstrate
mathematical reasoning ability.
A problem solver is someone
who questions, finds, investigates and explores solutions to
problems; demonstrates the ability to stick with a problem
to find a solution; understands that there may be different
ways to arrive at an answer; and applies math successfully
to everyday situations. You can encourage your child to be a
good problem solver by including him in routine activities
that involve math—for example, measuring, weighing, figuring
costs and comparing prices of things he wants to buy.
To communicate mathematically
means to use mathematical language, numbers, charts or
symbols to explain things and to explain the reasoning for
solving a problem in a certain way, rather than just giving
the answer. It also means careful listening to understand
others' ways of thinking and reasoning. You can help your
child learn to communicate mathematically by asking her to
explain what she must do to solve a math problem or how she
arrived at her answer. You could ask your child to draw a
picture or diagram to show how she arrived at the answer.
Mathematical reasoning ability
means thinking logically, being able to see similarities and
differences in objects or problems, making choices based on
those differences and thinking about relationships among
things. You can encourage your child's mathematical
reasoning ability by talking frequently with him about these
thought processes.
Some Important Things Your Child
Needs to Know About Mathematics
You can help your child learn math by offering her insights
into how to approach math. She will develop more confidence
in her math ability if she understands the following points: |
- Problems Can
Be Solved in Different Ways.
Although most math problems have only one answer, there
may be many ways to get to that answer. Learning math is
more than finding the correct answer; it's also a
process of solving problems and applying what you've
learned to new problems.
- Wrong
Answers Sometimes Can Be Useful.
Accuracy is always important in math. However, sometimes
you can use a wrong answer to help your child figure out
why she made a mistake. Analyzing wrong answers can help
your child to understand the concepts underlying the
problem and to learn to apply reasoning skills to arrive
at the correct answer. Ask your child to explain how she
solved a math problem. Her explanation might help you
discover if she needs help with number skills, such as
addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, or
with the concepts involved in solving the problem.
- Take Risks.
Help your child to be a risk taker. Help him see the
value of trying to solve a problem, even if it's
difficult. Give your child time to explore different
approaches to solving a difficult problem. As he works,
encourage him to talk about what he is thinking. This
will help him to strengthen math skills and to become an
independent thinker and problem solver.
- Being Able
to Do Mathematics in Your Head Is Important.
Mathematics isn't restricted to pencil and paper
activities. Doing math "in your head" (mental math) is a
valuable skill that comes in handy as we make quick
calculations of costs in stores, restaurants or gas
stations. Let your child know that by using mental math,
her math skills will become stronger.
- It's
Sometimes OK to Use a Calculator to Solve Mathematics
Problems.
It's OK to use calculators to solve math
problems—sometimes. They are widely used today, and
knowing how to use them correctly is important. The idea
is for your child not to fall back on the excuse, "I
don't need to know math—I've got a calculator." Let your
child know that to use calculators correctly and most
efficiently, she will need a strong grounding in math
operations—otherwise, how will she know whether the
answer she sees displayed is reasonable!
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How to Use This Booklet
The major portion of this booklet is made up of activities
that you can use with your child to strengthen math skills
and build strong positive attitudes toward math. You don't
need to be a great mathematician or to have a college degree
in math to use them. Your time and interest and the pleasure
that you share with your child as part of working together
are what matter most.
As the activities pertain to specific mathematical concepts,
the booklet provides a glossary defining these concepts.
Also, at the end of this booklet, you'll find lists of
resources, such as books for you and for your child, helpful
Web sites and the names of federal agencies that you can
contact for more information about how to help your child
with math. Let's get started!
Please note: In this booklet, we refer to a child as "he" in
some places and "she" in others. We do this to make the
booklet easier to read. Please understand, however, that
every point that we make is the same for boys and girls.
If America is going to stay the best place to do business in
the world, we must have the best math students.
— Margaret Spellings
U. S. Secretary of Education
Information source: U.S. Department of Education - Helping Your Child Learn Mathematics |
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