Supporting Student Success in Math

Agenda

• Review the goal for mathematics instruction

• Process skills (Ontario Mathematics Curriculum, 2005)

• Let’s do some Math together!

• How do I help my child? Parent resources

A Goal of Math Instruction

To develop life-long mathematicians who have the knowledge, thinking skills, confidence and perseverance to solve problems in their current and future lives.

Process Expectations (The Ontario Curriculum, 2005)

Problem Solving

Communication

Problem: ‘The Big Dinner’ – Gr. 3/4

Ms. Molloy needs to cook a BIG dinner this week-end and she needs to buy a turkey. At the grocery store, the price for turkeys is $1.25 per pound. The biggest turkey the store has weighs 24 pounds. She needs to know how much the turkey will cost.

Grand Avenue Students and Teachers in Action

Strings

Let’s do some math together…

How can you support your child?

Have a positive attitudeWhen working with your child on math, be as enthusiastic as possible. This is

hard if you have had bad mathematical experiences, but it is very important. Parents, especially mothers or girls, should never, ever say, “I was hopeless at math!”.

Jo Boaler – What’s Math Got to Do with It.

Being wrong can help you be right. A lot of us feel frustrated when something that involves math goes

wrong. Having trouble balancing the checkbook, cutting a piece of wood too short, or underestimating how much food you needed for a dinner party are experiences we all have had at one time or another. You can turn negative experiences like these into positive learning opportunities when you talk with your child about what happened, and what you might do differently next time around.

How can you support your child?• Share your day-to-day math experiences with your child, and help them notice the mathematics around them

• playing games, puzzles, making predictions, travelling (distances, budget)

• Support your child through homework by listening and asking questions: Tell me what you know… Show me what you started… What can you try first? Do you see any patterns Can you explain that to me? Does that answer make sense?

How can you support your child?

Encourage your child to make use of the resources available to them:•Notes, textbooks, teacher websites•Classmates•Siblings•Dreambox (elementary)•Homework help (7 – 10, 11-12)•CLIPS (www.mathclips.ca)•Gizmos (www.explorelearning.com) 7 – 12•Mathies