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Teacher advises parents be more involved
File photo - Finding a role for mathematics in everyday life is key to helping young students understand math.
By Kim Williams, kwilliams@acnpapers.com
Julia Haun is the elementary mathematics coordinator for Plano ISD. She thinks that parents play an important role in their children’s success in mathematics.
“There are many things that parents can do to support mathematics such as helping children see the role of mathematics in everyday life, finding the math in games and puzzles, and supporting homework,” Haun said. “One of the most important things parents can do is to have a positive attitude about learning mathematics. Help your child understand that the work may be challenging, but hard work and persistence are the keys to understanding and success.”
Plano resident Holly Larson is a math teacher in McKinney and a Texas Instruments Education Technology math consultant. She asked other math teachers to answer questions that might help parents in communicating with their child’s math teacher so to get the best results out of the teacher, child and parent.
“Parents hear the welcoming address from the principal, visit the gym and cafeteria, and soon after, [they’re] navigating classrooms and wondering, ‘Just what do I say when I meet Suzy’s math teacher if I don’t understand this stuff myself?’” Larson said. “Math teachers themselves have the answer.”
She referred to a comment by Steven Ouellette, a math teacher at Westwood High School in Massachusetts.
“Actually, when a parent asks me how they can help their son or daughter be successful in mathematics, it helps establish a partnership between us,” Ouellette said.
“A few key questions during even a brief teacher-parent meeting tell parents a lot about their child’s math program and ways they can foster their child’s success,” Larson said.”
She asked Patrick Flynn, a math teacher at Olathe East High School in Kansas, how a math class is taught and how it is graded.
“If the math class is lecture only, beware,” said Flynn. “If the teacher explains the variety of ways a class is taught, then all will be well.”
Larson said for parents to ask themselves observation questions first, such as: Does the teacher use a combination of techniques addressing a number of learning styles from lecture to hands-on, practical math exercises? Do they encourage in-class collaborative exercises and the use of learning tools such as graphing calculators?
She encouraged parents to not be shy about asking how a class is graded.
“Finding out how a class is graded tells you a lot about how to help your student learn,” Larson said. “What’s the relative grading value of homework, class participation, quizzes, group projects or exams? They’re all important, but if you’re only seeing homework and not quizzes, then you may be missing an important indicator of your child’s progress.”
She said that parents should ask their child’s math teacher if he or she posts quiz and test results on a secure school website that they can access to help track their child’s progress, or if lesson assignments, or even answers to past homework assignments are also posted.
“Absolutely ask your child’s teacher about homework requirements,” Larson said. “Can the assignment be completed during school hours, or should it be done at home? Should homework take 20 minutes a day? Are assignments given twice a week or every day? How much time should my son or daughter be spending to prepare for tests? These questions help parents gauge if their child is spending enough time preparing for the class. Or, if they’re spending too much time on homework, it may be a sign the child is struggling and needs extra support.”
Larson believes different kinds of learning tools used in class are important.
“Learning advanced mathematics is more about understanding and applying concepts to practical problems, rather than rote memorization and calculation,” Larson said. “Ask what kind of graphing calculator is being used in the class or if one is part of the school’s textbook curriculum. Today’s graphing calculators let students see and manipulate math exercises to quickly gain insight into concepts and apply advanced math to solve practical applications.”
Larson asked Jennifer Wilson, a math teacher at Northwest Rankin High School in Mississippi, how parents can help their children study for math.
“The most common question or misconception I hear from parents is, ‘You can’t study for math, right?’ meaning they think studying for math is different from other subjects,” Wilson said. “Studying for math exams involves practicing problems and reviewing exercises from class. Many students take a math test without first working through examples.”
Larson explained that parents need to encourage their children to work through the practice exercise in their textbooks and go online to find free study tools or exercises from sites. She recommends these sites: NCTM Illuminations or Education.ti.com.
“Teachers also advise students to rework problems from homework and quizzes, so parents need to make sure their child is saving all class materials,” Larson said. “Meanwhile, many schools offer before and after school tutoring programs to provide extra help for struggling students.”
Another important topic Larson said is important to discuss is the teacher’s makeup or retest policy.
“This is a good question, but it has its pros and cons,” Larson said. “Some people feel that retesting discourages students from studying for their first test, while others feel retesting is a good way to relearn concepts that a student is struggling with. It’s the kind of question you should definitely discuss with your child’s teacher. Parents should ask about class make-up policy when a child misses a class. Can homework assignments be retrieved online and worked on at home on a handheld graphing calculator?”
Larson mentioned a lot of top concerns parents have, but she thinks the main concept is to open communication between parent and teacher.
“Helping students excel in mathematics is a partnership involving teachers, students and their parents,” Larson said. “Asking the right questions early in the school year is a good start for parents who want to take an active role in shaping their child’s academic success.”
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