Parenting means we wear many professional hats – we quickly become adaptable and fake it ‘til we make it.
The pandemic may have improved our home-schooling techniques but when it comes to homework - maths in particular - you may find you’re fighting a losing battle.
A new study revealed nearly four in five children in the UK feel that remote learning significantly disrupted their education and development over the last academic year.
Maths was the hardest hit subject with 27% of the 12–18-year-olds surveyed citing learning gaps in their knowledge.
Education team at GoStudent share their top tips and tricks on how to help your kids with their maths homework so that we can start bridging those learning gaps together.
Get inspired
For many of us, maths can feel like an unfathomable subject, reserved for only the brainiest students. In truth, maths is for everyone, it's all around us and it can be totally inspiring. Without maths, we would never have counted our chickens, built the pyramids, told the time, calculated our own age, drawn maps, cracked wartime enigmas or built our beloved apps.
How you approach the subject will have a big impact on how your child feels about it too. If you can sit down to work on homework feeling optimistic and inspired, you are more likely to succeed and enjoy the process.
Go over the basics
Brush up on the basics, your future self will thank you. Basic maths skills are essential building blocks and without them, you will struggle to move on to the tougher stuff. Multiplying and dividing fractions is easy – as long as you’ve got your times tables under your belt!
When working with your child, don’t forget to keep a pencil and paper on hand at all times. Being able to see their workings makes it easier to track back and spot any mistakes. Also, it’s best not to use a calculator at this stage as it's crucial to hone those mental arithmetic skills first.
Stick with the curriculum
A lot may have changed since you were at school. For instance, long multiplication and division have undergone some improvement over the last few years. Take a look at ‘long division by chunking’ and ‘multiplying with grids’ for an updated approach to arithmetic.
Your child’s maths curriculum is broken down by year of study on the Department of Education’s web pages – this information is not just there for teachers, but for parents too. Make sure you are familiar with your child’s curriculum so you can be targeted in your approach to supporting their learning.
Make maths relatable
Maths at school can sometimes leave students feeling bemused and frustrated. What are the real-world applications for algebra, trigonometry and Pythagoras' theorem?
Let your kids know that they are already using problem-solving in their everyday lives with ease. Understanding rhythm in music, calculating how much paint you need to cover a wall, saving up weekly pocket money and cutting a cake evenly are all great examples. If working through equations on a page is becoming tiresome, try setting up some real-life problems like these for your kids to solve.
Use online resources
As discussed, maths is a notoriously difficult nut to crack for many students – you and your child are not alone! There is a wealth of engaging, easy-to-use learning material available online. Check out what learning platforms and curriculum-based quizzes you can find and try them out before running through them with your child. Complete with guides, expert tips, interactive exercises and solutions, these resources are invaluable and often free to access.
Seek external support
According to GoStudent’s Education Report, even though 85 percent of children see the value of having a tutor, only 16 percent of them received tutoring. For those that did receive tutoring in the UK, 65 percent of it was focussed on catching up on maths. So, if you think your child may benefit from an extra boost when it comes to bridging the gap in their maths learning, don’t be afraid to seek external support.
For more information, visit: www.gostudent.org
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