Parents do not have to study mathematics to help their children gain confidence and facility with the new practices emphasized in Common Core mathematics. One of the primary features emphasized in current math teaching is requiring students to explain, analyze, and justify the method they take to solve math problems. Parents can help their children practice such cognitive skills by asking them to apply them in everyday conversations.
Common Core math has been controversial since its introduction. How do you feel about CC?
By using daily experiences, you can help your math-struggling child.
Parents can thus engage their kids in tasks of explaining and justifying their opinions on daily realities such as the time that school starts. When students are struggling with homework, parents don’t have to solve a problem but instead ask their child to articulate and jot down where exactly in the problem they get stuck. Then students can offer particular needs for clarification to their teachers.
Because of the Common Core, teachers now require students to demonstrate that they understand the validity of others’ work and that they’ve used a reasonable, efficient mathematical procedure themselves.
Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert
Key takeaways
- The new Common Core math has students and parents alike puzzled, but one math teacher offers tips for how parents can help their students with their math education.
- One way parents can help is by asking their children to justify their answers, which is something that the Common Core standards require.
- Other ways to help include working on “real world” math examples and figuring out exactly where your child is struggling to understand something.
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