Welcome back to Term two. Some words for the adults in our community asking how to ‘best’ support a child’s mathematics learning.

The way your child learns at home may be different from how they have been learning at school. As a parent or carer your role is not to replace the teacher. It is to support your child or young person’s learning provided by the school. We want you to know that you are an important partner in your child’s mathematics education. When you find ways to engage your child in thinking and talking about mathematics, you are providing an important key for unlocking their future success. Critical thinking, problem solving, reasoning ability and communicating mathematically are essential skills. Your children are familiar with these processes as they are planned for across all math lessons here at Burnie Primary School.

Some practical tips for parents (Taken from Doing Mathematics with Your Child, Kindergarten to Grade 6, 2019).

• Build strong, positive attitudes about math. When children feel positively engaged and successful, they are more likely to stick with an activity or a problem to find a solution.
• Begin with the planned activities that meet your child’s level of mathematical understanding. Early success in solving problems will build your child’s confidence. Gradually move to activities that provide more challenge for your child.
• If you and your child are more comfortable in a language other than English, use it. Your child will understand concepts better in the language that he or she knows best.

If you or your child require additional support to engage with the maths tasks in your Learning at Home packs, please do not hesitate to contact your classroom teacher.

MATHS CHALLENGE

Challenge: this weeks Maths Challenge can be sent back as a photo via email to Mr Johnston (E: ben.johnston@education.tas.gov.au).