Worried about supporting your kids to do their math homework? You’re not alone. Last night, the parents of kids at Navan’s Heritage Public School went back to math class. Say what?
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board is expanding supports for parents whose children are finding mathematics challenging. And one way to do it is to hold numeracy nights at area schools. That’s why the grownups got out their pencils and erasers to see firsthand what it’s like to be a math student in 2013.
The Navan parents got the opportunity to experience open-ended math and problem solving questions. They were also able to network with other parents feeling a little intimidated by the “new math.”
At last night’s session, they worked collaboratively to solve problems spanning across all divisions from kindergarten through to intermediate. According to Heritage Public School teacher Jennifer Rogers-Kelly, teachers walked around the classroom and asked questions to encourage communication regarding math concerns. The aim was to model what parents could try with their children at home. Once parents experienced this type of math, there was also a presentation followed by questions.
If there hasn’t been a numeracy night at your kids’ school, here’s one problem-solving option: you can look for online math help at the Ministry of Education website. There are resources, including Parent Guides for numeracy and homework clubs.
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/parentGuideNum2012.pdf
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/studentsuccess/learning/files/homework.pdf
