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Category: Math Phobia/Anxiety

Developing Math Minds at Home Parent Guide

Developing Math Minds at Home Parent Guide

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I’m happy to announce that our parent guide Developing Math Minds at Home is now complete.

The guide was designed to help families support math learning at home. As parents work on reinforcing math skills, it’s also important that we show them how to help their children develop a strong math mind. As we describe in the guide, “Children with a strong math mind are comfortable using math. They understand that math is a useful part of our everyday lives and are confident using it to solve problems.”

The guide underscores what the current research says about how children learn math and includes topics such as:

  • Fostering a Growth Mindset
  • Supporting a Positive Attitude Towards Mathematics
  • Promoting Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills
  • Developing Number Sense
  • Solving Problems a Variety of Ways
  • Embracing Mistakes
  • Encouraging Positive Self-Talk

We also have a Spanish version of the booklet.  For a sample page, check out our website.

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Power Packs and Math Homework

Power Packs and Math Homework

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Everyone loves to play games. They’re engaging, motivating, and fun. And from an educational perspective, they can be a powerful learning tool. Here’s what games can do:

  • reinforce skills learned in the classroom
  • develop mental math skills
  • encourage strategic thinking
  • foster mathematical communication
  • build confidence
  • engage parents

But one of the best things about games is that they offer meaningful practice in a way where kids actually want to do math. That’s because games, by their very nature, are fun. It’s not too hard to entice a child to play a game. And because of that, games offer important practice in a way that worksheets can’t.

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Math…it’s a Workout

Math…it’s a Workout

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“Your workout has to be fun. You’re not going to stick with it if it isn’t fun.” I hear this every time I’m in the middle of a difficult workout. And every time I hear it I want to ‘bop’ the lady on the DVD who is guiding me through the “fun”.

It’s not always easy, but I try to get in a workout several times a week. Unlike the opinion of Ms. DVD, however, working out is not always a lot of fun. There’s usually some pain involved. Those lunges hurt.

So the other day when she repeated herself for the umpteenth time, I started to think about why I continue to pop in that DVD and torture myself for 40 minutes. After all, she said it was supposed to be fun and I wasn’t feeling the fun. I just wanted the workout to be over so I could get that sense of accomplishment that comes with knowing you’ve done something good for yourself.

And there it was. My motivator. That sense of accomplishment. And I was willing to endure some pretty tough exercises in order to get it.

But there was another motivator, too. Results. If I didn’t get any results from my pain, well then it wouldn’t be worth doing.

It’s the same in the math classroom. Some math problems are not fun. And some math problems are not easy. But that doesn’t mean that they’re not important to do. The key is to help students make connections between the problems they’re working on and the reasons for doing them. We need to show them the benefits.

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The Two Most Important Questions to Ask Your Kids

The Two Most Important Questions to Ask Your Kids

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Okay, so I’m talking about the two most important questions you can ask your kids to help develop mathematical thinking. Wait! Don’t go. Math often receives short shrift. It’s unfortunate because math, taught correctly, teaches us how to effectively problem solve. It’s also the perfect subject to teach our kids persistence. Research has shown that kids who are persistent tend to do better academically. And doing well academically has great benefits in life. The two most important questions: #1: WHY?…

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There is No Math Gene

There is No Math Gene

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Remember when I said there is no math gene? I meant it. But to underscore it, I’m going to share my son’s artwork. What does art have to do with math genes? Take a look at the photo. These are some of the art pieces that are hanging on my wall created by my oldest son. (My youngest son has an art wall, as well.) I’ll have to admit, these pieces are pretty good. The longboard piece (Gustave Caillebotte’s Paris…

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