Creating Staff Cohesion in a School Mathematics Department

By its very nature, teaching is a stressful career. A teacher needs to deal with, relate to and work with twenty to thirty different individuals every hour of his/her professional life in the classroom. At the end of the day he/she is often too stressed out to cope adequately with a staff meeting. So, in my Mathematics department, I decided to have as fewer staff meetings as I could possibly survive with and replace them with a more informal weekly morning tea. I called this morning tea "The Breaking of Bread".

"The Breaking of Bread" was designed to create a social as well as a professional bond between my staff. We did this in a number of ways.

At the beginning of the first term, usually in our Student Free Days, there would be a welcome back and a welcome to school morning tea foe all teachers of Mathematics. Here the new staff members were introduced and welcomed. I made sure I was involved with the catering for this morning tea. I would inform the staff of my goals for the year and any other important news that I thought should be made known.

Secondly, a similar morning tea was held to start each term.

Thirdly, each week, on a fixed morning, there would be a staff morning tea in the Maths staff room for all Maths staff. Catering was organised on a roster basis by our social coordinator. Each staff member was to organise that they were not on playground duty during that time. I made known to the deputy principal responsible for playground duty of my desire to have all my staff available to be involved in the morning teas.

The deputy principals were always responsive to my request. This gathering became a 'pseudo' staff meeting where I gave out information and sought advice on current issues in an informal environment. People unable to attend were kept informed by me usually personally or by memo. The staff accepted these informal meetings well. It created a lesser need for formal after school Maths staff meetings.

One of the Deputy Principals was our liaison person to the administration I. e. The functioning of the Mathematics department was one of their responsibilities. That person was always welcome at our morning teas. It became our informal way of providing feedback on many issues to the administration team in the school.

Lastly, during the final days of term four (Semester Two), when only our junior school classes were still with us, I would organise a longer time for our last morning tea of the year. The administration team would be invited. This was our time to farewell those staff leaving us. It was a time for me to thank my staff for their help and advice during the year.

I would make a presentation of 'Tongue in Cheek' awards to every member of staff to thank them for something special they did for me or the department or a funny 'faux pas'.
Our teacher aide and anyone else who helped our department were always part of each of these gatherings.

Not only were these gatherings successful in a social and professional sense, they were successful in providing us with many different taste sensations. That, in itself, was a high point. Rarely, did a teacher absent themselves deliberately from these gatherings. That, to me, was their measure of success.

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The Differences of Education in the Past

Elementary and high school today does not bear much resemblance to the elementary and high schools of fifty and sixty years ago.

We tend to think of change over time as making things worse, and to idealize the past as better and simpler. That was not always the case. However, many people perceive things this way.

Instead of taking this view, we should consider the many positive changes that have occurred over the past six decades that have led to great advances in education in the United States.

One major change that must be mentioned is desegregation. Segregation in schools, or putting black students in separate schools from white students, was made illegal by the Supreme Court ruling in the Brown V. Board of Education case in 1954. Now all students, regardless of race, have the same rights and can attend the same schools.

There have also been improvements in gender inequality. Can you imagine a high school where all of the young women were learning to cook and sew in Home Ec, and all of the boys were learning to do auto repair in auto shop? It sounds ridiculous, and yet that was the picture in many American high schools prior to the late 1960s.

Girls were also disadvantaged academically because of gender bias. They were discouraged from taking advanced math and science courses, and were told that they did not have the natural aptitude to succeed in these subjects. That is no longer the case. Now girls are encouraged in all lines of study, including science and math.

We also consider different learning styles in modern American schools. Different students learn differently. Some are visual learners, others need to hear something repeated a few times to retain the information, still others may need 'hands on' application of course materials. In previous decades, this was not recognized the way it is today.

Teachers now also make a more competitive wage. It used to mean a lifetime of scanty paychecks if you wanted to teach. Now, we recognize that teachers are hardworking professionals who deserve a livable wage.

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Math Bingo Lesson Plans

Ask almost any adult, and I think that you will find that they know how to play the game of bingo. If you were to ask them to explain how the game is played, I expect they could tell you in very short space of time - it is that simple to learn the rules. This simplicity also means that the game can be enjoyed by children, and with a few simple modification used as a teaching aid in many different subjects, including math.

The most obvious way to apply bingo to the teaching of math is to use bingo cards printed with numbers, although this may not be the numbers that appear on standard bingo cards, but instead numbers that have been specially selected by the teacher.

 The students are each given a bingo card and told to mark off squares from them in response to questions given by the teacher.  For example, the teacher might say "three times nine", and the students have to look for the number 27 on their cards. Using this method, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division can all be easily practiced.

Fractions and decimals can also be used as well - the students might be given a conversion problem (they have to find square containing 0.25 when the teacher says "one quarter", etc.) or a rounding problem (they have to find the square containing 2.6 when the teacher says "round 2.61 to one decimal place", etc).

An alternative to playing with numbered bingo cards is to use bingo cards printed with math problems. In this case, students would  be required to mark off squares by writing in the correct answer to each math problem as it is called off.

Whether you use numbers or problems, a key element however is custom bingo card printed with items specially selected by the teacher. I wouldn't suggest creating them by hand, since doing so for a whole class would be very time consuming. Instead, teachers can use their computers and bingo card maker software to easily create as many bingo cards as they want, containing whatever items they choose.

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Kids and Parents Learning Math: Together

After browsing through a number of math homework forums, there is a pattern. Parents have having difficulty with their kids math homework.

Math games are beneficial for kids and parents. Many parents can add and subtract. Is basic addition and subtraction good enough? Can you consider probability and plan ahead your next move? It is likely that many adults would have fun playing the same games as their kids.

Simplified Objective

The objective of the game is to collect numbered cards from 2-10 in order which add up to more than 20.

Challenge

The problem is that for each coloured section, it might not be possible to collect numbered cards up to 20, which results in a penalty. To manage your cards, while adjusting your strategy based on your opponents moves, and the number of cards left in the draw pile.

Positive Attitude Towards Mathematics

This game presents mathematics with a story, and is played within a framework. By being creative, you will learn that there is not just one correct way to be successful at this game.

Number Sense & Numeration

The problems change as the cards are laid, requiring the players to adjust strategies and re-calculate

Data Management & Probability

Keep track of your cards (Manage your colour sections based on the cards you and your partner have. Memorizing and Counting Cards- Plan your moves based on the probability of making your goals.

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Fun Ways to Teach Your Kids Math

Children are like sponges. They absorb every bit of information that is given to them, especially if it is presented in a fun and easy to learn way. It's never too early to begin teaching the concepts of math to your children. Opportunities for math abound in our everyday lives. Once you begin to notice them, you'll soon be guilty of seeing math in everything you do!

Story time with your child is an excellent starting point. Virtually any book that you choose to read will have countless opportunities for math discussion. If you are reading 'The Three Little Pigs', don't just breeze through it. Make sure that you stop on every page and give your child time to absorb the pictures. Ask questions about what they see, but be sure to offer constant encouragement even if they give an incorrect answer. The key to learning is to constantly provide a positive experience. By doing this, your child will always be eager to learn. As you look at the pictures with them, ask questions such as, "How many pigs do you see on this page?" or "How many apples are on this tree?" If your child seems stuck, happily count out loud for them. As a general rule, count everything you see, literally. You can count the stairs as you climb them, or the socks as you are taking them out of the dryer together. The opportunities are endless. Is your child a picky eater? Try saying, "Just take five more bites and you will be done", and then of course count them out.

Playing capacity games while you are cooking is both educational and extremely fun. Your child will love pouring liquids from one container to another. Prepare them for learning measurements by asking them which container can hold more or less, and by letting them handle the different measuring cups, spoons, etc. Amaze them by doing special tricks, like pouring a cup full of cereal into a measuring cup, then crushing it and then presenting the new compressed, much smaller measurement.

Playing pattern games helps prepare your child for the concepts they will need to grasp in school. If your child eats Fruit Loops or M&M's, help arrange them in different colored rows. After this is mastered, put down a pattern, such as one green M&M, one red M&M, and then one more green M&M. Ask your child to show you what color comes next. You can play pattern games with colored clothespins, different shaped blocks, colored socks, etc. The more you play this game with your child, the more variations of the game you will discover.

Play subtraction games at snack time. If your child likes goldfish crackers, you can draw a fish bowl on a piece of paper. Place ten or twelve goldfish crackers on the paper so they are 'in the fish bowl'. Have your child count them at the beginning and then tell you how many are left every time they eat one, or two, or three. This will teach your child the basic concept of subtraction while providing them with a fun snack time experience.

Regardless of what approach you take to incorporate math in your child's life, realize that you are laying a foundation for their future interest or indifference to the subject. Keep it simple, don't stress, and remember to move on to something else as soon as your child loses interest. Learning is fun, and helping your child to enjoy early learning experiences in a playful manner is one of the best gifts you can give them.

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Kindergarten Activities - Creative Kids Math

How do you identify creative kids?

1. They are imaginative, resourceful and uninhibited.

2. They are open to new ideas and see things in a different way.

3. They are curious, alert, and adventurous and risk taking.

4. They are independent in thinking and social behavior.

5. They are inventive and good at solving problems.

6. They love challenges and are easily bored with routine and mundane tasks.

Kindergarten Maths activities which develop creative thinking encourage the kids to think critically, using their existing knowledge to explore new ways of thinking. We can incorporate language, music or math into these activities and for this article we will discuss on using math to develop creativity.

Whenever the word math is mentioned, numbers and formulas come into the picture. Math is more than just number crunching but when it is being introduced to kids creatively, can improve skills like reasoning, logic and problem solving and also widen the kids understanding of Math to a wider scope as listed below:

1. To enable the kids to sort objects in a logical series according to size, shape or any other characteristic.

Find objects of different shapes like a book, a clock, a piece of sandwich or pizza, a photo frame, a ball, a pencil case. Put them together and ask the child to group them according to their size. For example a book is a rectangle, what other objects here are rectangle shapes.

You can invent different kindergarten activities by finding objects of different sizes or talk about animals and ask them what animals are big and small.

2. To enable the kids to understand the concept of numbers by letting them have direct experience with objects as the kids will discover that numbers are not just digits but extend to our everyday lives.

Kindergarten activities which kids under five need are songs, rhymes and finger plays that include numbers like Little Indian Boys/Girls, while singing, finger play with them, show your fingers while singing One Little, Two Little, Three Little Indians and so on.

You can also ask questions like - Mummy bought 5 apples and put them in the refrigerator yesterday. You ate one apple and Daddy ate two, so how many apples are in the refrigerator now? Allow the kids to answer and ask them to check the refrigerator to see whether they are correct.

3. To develop their spatial skills by discovering how to fit things together, take things apart, rearrange things and navigation.

Kids with well developed spatial skills are very creative, dramatic, artistic and musical. Some kindergarten activities which encourage spatial skills are playing with Lego, tangram, mazes, play dough and chess.

Engage your kids in creative thinking activities the whole day while you are preparing your meals, gardening or clearing your laundry by asking open-ended questions which are worded in such a way that there is no one correct answer. An example is while clearing your groceries asks your kids what they can do with this tomato. Open-ended questions like this engage the kids in divergent or creative thinking to come up with a whole range of brilliant and imaginative ideas.

5 Benefits When Kids Math Games Are Made Funny For Kids

Understanding math concepts do not just involve practice but is a developmental process as it is understanding the concepts and applying them to the environment and your daily lives and teaching these concepts can be made more enjoyable, funny and lively for your kids when you know how to inject some humor, fun and creativity into the games.

Try these funny kids math games -

1. Clown bowling game
Draw several simple clown faces and write numbers 1 to 10. Paste them on empty water bottles. Place these bottles in a row like bowling pins. Say out an addition problem - What is 2 + 2? The kid will have to aim the answer with a ball and do a victory dance when the kid bowls the correct answer.

2. Rocks, paper and scissors
Write numbers from 1 to 20 and place them on the floor. Break the kids into two groups and each group stand at the end of the row of cards. The kids are required to jump over one card at a time and while jumping over the card must call out the number written on the card. When the two kids meet, do rock, paper and scissors. The kid who loses leaves and is replaced with another kid from his team to continue where they have stopped but the kid who wins continues the game. The kid who reaches the end of the row of cards wins.

When Primary School Maths games are made funny for kids, your kids will be reaping the following 5 benefits -

1. When kids enjoy the funny games, making them laugh, carbon dioxide are driven out of the body and is replaced by oxygen-rich air thus boost immunity and helps the kids to relax and reduces their stress level.

2. Laughter and fun provides the kids to express their developing powers of reasoning and creativity and they will learn and retain more of what is being taught to them.

3. When kids are exposed to the funny side of math which is always perceived to be a rigid and boring subject, stretches their imagination to think out of the box and learning to look at the problem differently to come out with different creative ways to solve the problem.

4. When kids laugh at funny games helps to break the ice and encourage them to interact with each other, develop their social growth as they learn how to get along with others and work in groups.

5. When humor is incorporated into kids math games, it enriches the learning process as when the serious learning is made funny and playful, the kids interest is intensified making them more attentive listeners, willing participants and sharp observers and their love to learn more of math will grow.

When kids are playing and exploring in enriched environment that is fun, humorous, playful and at the same time of educational value serves to support your kids in their cognitive thinking skills, motor skills as you need muscles to laugh and their emotional skills that is they feel happy while learning and that learning is fun.

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Overview Of The Maths Grading System In Singapore

The grading system in Singapore differs among schools basing since different institutions have different systems and foci. The grading systems at the primary, secondary and junior college levels are the ones that are mostly based on the local grading system. Maths is one of the important subjects that students need to pass if they want to be assured of good grades in their overall performance. For those who find difficulty in understanding this subject, a maths tuition will be very important to help them grasp the concepts that seem hard when they are in class.

In primary education, the grading system requires a student to score at least 91% to have an A grade in any subject. At O level, a student will be required to get at least 75% to be able to have an A1 grade. At junior college level, getting an A grade requires a student to have at least 70% score in a subject. This just shows how special attention should be paid especially in maths if a student wants to perform well in it as well as in his or her overall performance.

For some students, just hearing the word maths is enough to make them go crazy. But since the grading system cannot be altered because other students may not be so good in maths, there is no escaping but just to device mechanisms that will help the students improve their performance. Maths is a subject that nurtures students to be sharp especially in their critical thinking skills, but at the same time it can be nerve wrecking. Maths tuition will help children understand maths in a fun manner. It also helps sharpen the students in the areas that they are weak because it is most unlikely that they are not good in every area.

The Singapore educational system gives math an evident and intentional importance. Every student has to take maths at primary and secondary levels of education, so they have no option but to be good at it if they want the maths grading scale to favor them. Parents have the responsibility to make sure that their children are performing well in maths. When they notice that their children's grades in this subject are declining, hiring a maths tutor will be the best way to help them improve. A maths tuition will simplify the maths and help the students to develop interest in numbers as a result of the interesting teaching mechanisms employed by tutors.

 Math tuition can help in preparing students at all levels of education. When you start hiring a maths tutor when the children are still at lower education levels such as kindergarten and primary, it will help them to develop a liking for the subject at early stages. This will help prepare them for the toughest competition that lies ahead of them as they progress towards higher levels of education. Since the maths grading system is not going to change to favor underperformers, a math tuition will be really important in making the students understand concepts repeatedly and score good grades not only in maths but in all of their overall performance.

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It Takes Creativity To Be Smart

The ultimate goal of education is to be able to solve problems in the real world. For many young children this has meant entering the empirical world of hard core academic training at a very young age. Parents who fear their children will not be able to compete unless they learn reading and arithmetic early in life, are pushing their children into academics when they are very young. These parents believe that their children will fall behind in elementary school if they are not exposed to "drill and test" programs in their preschools.

The problem with this line of thought is that it is just plain wrong. Children who are forced to memorize rather than rationalize will be able to play back the information they received but will not be able to do anything creative with that information. Very young children are naturally curious and open to exploring the possibilities around them. If we fill them up with facts instead of encouraging creative exploration they will lose the ability to be creative with the facts we have given them. In other words it takes creativity to perform any kind of problem solving whether it is a math problem or a science problem.

Yet when we look at the preschool and elementary school world today we find fewer outlets for creativity and more "teach to test". We find less recess time, no art class, no music and no drama. For all the emphasis on teaching "the basics", I believe that academics are important, but studies show that this early emphasis on only hard core academics can result in poor academic performance when these children reach middle and high school. There are no studies that validate this push for early academics while there are studies that show the opposite.

If you want your child to be smart, you need your child to be creative. At these very young ages what your child needs is brain development activities not memorization. Young children need to learn how to recognize symbols and what those symbols stand for, to recognize the shapes of letters and numbers. Most importantly they need to understand that those letters and numbers are just symbols not reality. If they understand this their brains will be more open to thinking in abstract as well as factual reality.

As I said before it takes creativity to solve problems. It takes creativity to be comfortable facing a new problem and knowing how to approach solving it. If I know that 2 plus 2 =4 but I don't know how to imagine having 2 sticks and then picking up 2 more so I have 4 sticks, then it will be difficult for me to solve a "story problem" in my algebra class. The child needs to know the world is not black and white though the colors black and white do exist in the world. The child needs to know it is OK to take a risk and go outside the box intellectually, to solve a math problem by drawing on something learned while drawing or playing music. A creative child will sense the 'math' in art and music.

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Preschool Maths Cover More Than Just Counting

Maths in all grades involve rationalizing, counting, and figuring out many aspects of nearly anything. Preschool maths involve setting the path for future learning in this regard, while maximizing on your child's earliest learning days.

It's not complicated to teach a child how to count from 1 to 10. For the best results later, having them able to make more of the numbers is the goal of preschool maths. Things such as two is more than one, and that there isn't fairness in two for them and one for me. They are quite capable of this learning at the preschool level though and it gives them a great head start on later maths.

Below are a few ideas that help children find preschool maths easier and give them an extra boost on the future. These are not only in preschool classrooms; rather they can be done at home as well.

Stars For Behavior

Many recall these charts often used to keep the class informed about who was the best in various ways. This enables the children to weight differences in quantity as a useful side effect. Counting and knowing more is a great way for learning preschool maths as well as behavioral understanding.

In addition these stars help provide the preschoolers to grow in areas where recognition among peers can be helpful. Maths at this level helps put the big picture together in the long run.

The Family Bar Graph

Preschool classes will often ask each child to bring pictures from home of their family. From there they use a simple bar graph to make it visual. The bottom often has the number of family members, and the side being how many children in the preschool class have that many. These help instill some of the difference aspects of maths. Using the pictures for the vertical bars they can easily see where the most children fall. In the end, their will be the ability to see size from simple maths.

There a number of gaming and competitive ways this preschool activity can be used to make it more interesting. When it comes to the maths, it will have them comparing sizes as well.

Friendship Mix

This concept can go a long way in preschool in the areas of sharing, maths, simple counting, and more. Just like other mixes you can buy at the stores, the preschool children are each given a bag of a different dry snack. Each is then asked to put five pieces in front of them at a time from their bag. A bag is passed of which each puts their 5 in, and passes it onto another student with something different to do the same task with. They repeat this for bags for each student in the class.

The resulting mixed backs of snacks give them practice counting, seeing sizes grow, and teamwork. In the end they take them home for a snack!

Other Practice

There are many ways to help learn preschool maths. You don't need expensive education resources. Anything can do, such as cans, bottles, boxes, and anything else that can be stacked. Building towers will enable them to see growth in numbers. Beyond preschool maths they will begin more extensive use of the skills they have developed here.

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Learning Math With Manipulatives Can Actually Help Make Math Fun For Kids

Teaching math to kids can be one of the most difficult challenges a teacher or parent can face due to the varying differences in teaching methods and individual learning styles. For many, math is a dirty word, but it doesn't have to be. Learning math can actually be a fun subject that makes sense by using real-life examples and optional manipulatives. There are several Maths Activity Class that teach basic concepts through fun, everyday applications. Parents and teachers can use a math manipulative to visually illustrate fundamental math principles such as; simple number recognition and counting to word problems solved with pre-algebra for kindergarten kids through high school.

My own children were confused, bored and even afraid of math, but by using humorous, real-life fun with numbers I was able to teach my kids the fundamentals they were missing as well as opening doors to discover new tricks to help them with memorization. By building each new concept on the others, I was able to tap into my children's natural ability to remember and use what they learned. And I don't know about you, but word problems were always a challenge for me. Word Problems, cover a wide scope of mathematical skills and I have found incorporating both video tutorials with math manipulatives a very beneficial way to help teach my children how to solve pesky word problems.

So, how can using manipulatives or real-world items make learning math easier and more fun for kids? Take for example Kindergarten and first grade aged children; by using apples to teach fractions, or cars to serve as rulers, and a even a bear hunter who shares his snacks we are able to use household items and real-life fun to help your child engage in math. By starting early you can cover a complete list of concepts from top Math curricula like; number recognition, counting and sorting, and then using math manipulatives to reinforce concepts like addition, subtraction, place values, money, time, estimation and geometric shapes. What helps make this method so effective is that it taps into a child's visual and tactile recognition, which is a highly active part of a child's development, to help them remember.

Math manipulatives lend themselves to a tactile and visual learning approach with the flexibility to handle multiplication, division (both long and short), estimation, mathematical properties, equations, factors, prime numbers, spatial relationships (like angles and coordinate planes), time zones, money, converting measurements, fractions, and a whole lot more. Using instructional video aids like MathTacular in conjunction with top elementary math programs, including Horizons, Saxon and Singapore math curriculums really takes the mystery out of more than 50 concepts.

How Can You Learn Difficult Math Concepts

Whether you are working with a student who is just starting to learn about the core concepts of math in kindergarten, or you are a college student struggling with the intricacies of calculus, Math Concepts may be a very useful tool for you to take advantage of today. This math program is specially designed to help students master various math skills ranging from basic word problems to the most advanced problems within calculus.

The Math Concepts program can be useful for a number of different reasons. First off, this program provides a very intricate and detail oriented learning program for students to study. This program does not only provide a great study aid, but it also provides a number of different tools that can improve a student's ability to learn difficult material over time.

Along with a great deal of information about the actual course that helps students learn about key math concepts, this math package also comes with a complete teacher's manual too. This manual helps teachers approach the teaching of math in a manner that will provide an optimal learning environment for students to digest important math concepts.

Another valuable feature of this math program is the schedule planning feature. The schedule planner can make it very easy for students to follow a schedule and learn difficult concepts in stages. Over time, students can make steady progress through their study materials, while keeping track of their progress the entire time.

In order to make the specially designed study materials even more effective, these materials also come with practice tests as well. Practice tests and practice problems can make the process of learning math concepts much easier to handle for students in general. 

To make the learning process even more fun, the program incorporates illustrated games for students to use. These games are designed to make the process of learning key math concepts entertaining. By making the process of learning key math concepts entertaining, students can learn much faster and with greater ease.

If you are planning on teaching this program to other students, you can count on the program to be very helpful overall, because it not only provides instructions as to how you can teach the material in an effective manner, but it also provides enough material and instructions to help students learn the information in the program on their own, without any additional support from an authoritative figure.

Whether you are trying to teach a kindergarten student key math concepts, or you are trying to teach a calculus student the most advanced concepts in math today, the Math Concepts program will certainly be a great tool for you to utilize. This program not only makes the process of learning simple, but it also makes the process of learning fun as well.

Tips for teaching primary school maths

Mathematics is a subject that many people struggle with, particularly when they are at a young age. There will always be children who are naturally mathematically minded but many children require a practical approach that helps them to visualise exactly what is happening and relate it to real life situations. This is particularly important at the primary school age.

Studies have shown that a class of children will respond well to a lesson that incorporates a variety of activities and teaching methods. It is important to take into consideration the attention span of your students and the length of time they can absorb information using any one particular teaching method. Naturally this length of time will be less for younger children. Through using a mixture of techniques that are aimed at the entire class, individual or group learning you will ensure that you keep all students engaged in the lesson and therefore maintain their interest in learning.

As mentioned many students respond well to visual aids when learning new mathematical concepts. In the classroom you can use a variety of tools to help with this including images, video, audio, objects and shapes. Take advantage of the technology available and set group computer activities or even games via an interactive whiteboard. This type of learning approach will create a more informal and fun environment in the classroom where students can ask questions and spark up debates between teachers and friends.

If you are looking for some inspiration to help you create classroom activities there are literally hundreds of tried and tested ideas you can use online. You will find free and low cost resources that are aimed specifically at your class Key Stage level and suitable for a range of teaching styles.

Some teaching resources offer a blog or forum for teachers to share tips and ideas so this can be another great place to pick up some new techniques and lesson ideas. Since most online resources are free or require a low cost subscription fee you can make your budget stretch further and provide more resources to your class than you would otherwise be able to using traditional hard copy teaching resources. In addition you can access these resources at any time either through your laptop or interactive whiteboard.

Remember when teaching primary school maths you will achieve positive results if you have a varied lesson plan that encompasses a variety of teaching styles and activities to engage pupils. Seek new ideas online and make the most of the modern resources available to create an exciting and fun classroom environment.

Primary School Aged Children Struggling With Key Stage 2 Maths

Maths can be a daunting and confusing subject to learn. It is a progressive subject, and once a child falls behind and struggles to understand certain Math topics, this leads to difficulties in learning more advanced Math.

It is vital that the foundations of Maths are understood fully (i.e. addition, multiplication, division, subtraction, fractions, units etc) to be able to progress to more difficult Maths.

Often parents have negative memories of Maths from their own school days, which lead them to feel inadequate as home tutors. You can help your child to learn Maths using various methods; you don't have to have an A-level in Maths, as has been highlighted by the Channel 4 program "Dispatches" in February this year.

Any methods you choose should be addressed in a calm and pleasant manner. Your child will not learn if he/she is upset or stressed. Learning should be a positive experience. Don't obsess about what your child cannot do. If a topic is proving difficult to learn, do not show your child that you are frustrated, just tell yourself and your child that that exercise brought them one step closer to understanding it and tackle it another day. Try to plan your home tutor lessons; it's not a good idea to plan a thirty-minute lesson when your child has just finished double Maths lesson at school.

If your child is finding a topic frustrating and is getting upset, take a short time-out. Fix him/her a drink and have a chat about something other than Maths. It's best not to allow any multimedia entertainment (such as TV, games) during the short break, as it may be difficult to get your child to re-focus upon the lesson.

Your child may bring home some Maths homework that you find difficult or can't remember how to solve. Don't panic! Take a look at the problems before you try to help your child. If there is an example available try to work out the problems yourself.

Purchasing educational software and workbooks can help tremendously, especially if you feel that your child doesn't receive enough homework or your child is struggling with Maths. Every lesson does count, providing that learning session is delivered in a calm and positive manner.

You can make a positive difference in your child's knowledge and with time and patience their Maths skills will flourish.

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