Maths homework

[BonnieDG]

My advice if you are struggling with your primary school child's maths homework, especially the daft way of teaching calculations, is to pay for good private tution.
It is really necessary in my view to ensure your child starts secondary school, able to do basic maths calculations. The "new"
method unfortunately taught in schools since 2000 doesn't teach children how to do calculations quickly and correctly and with larger numbers.

that's shocking

I disagree.

I like the primary maths curriculum. ds1 and ds2 (without any private tuition) have both gone on to do "calculations quickly and correctly and with larger numbers". ds2 in particular can do amazing sums in his head.

Because of the way maths is now taught they have a much more "solid view" as to what numbers actually are, what they represent and how they work, than I ever did. They are also more passionate about mathematics. (And I got an A grade at A Level in Maths - many, many years ago).

I disagree. The 'new' method does teach children to do calculations quickly and correctly with large numbers. That is the whole point of it!

What evidence to you have for this?

Bonnie - doing a search of your username, all your posts are about getting a tutor - are you one? One would suspect that at some stage you will mention your children and the 11+ and do a linky......

apologies in advance if am wrong but just thought i would mention.....

Also you bumped a really old thread earlier and then it was pointed out that it was an old thread...

Sorry, just looks odd!!

The new methods, are not new, they've been around for years, there's just more emphasis on making sure children understand the basics behind methods instead of the 'let's line all the numbers up in columns' approach.
Also, secondary teachers won't be happy if children come up with this understanding that the primary curriculum teaches.

thanks everyone - was wondering about the accuracy of her statements. If the only way to ensure your child is maths competent by age 11 is to hire a tutor then schools are failing - I'm not sure that is the case

My child was bottom of the class and in serious danger of going backwards with the "new methods", we moved her to another school which lets them do whatever method she likes as long as the answer is correct and her confidence has soared.
We spoke to the local grammar school on open day and asked if it would be a problem that DD doesn't get the new methods, they said not at all, that the children usually revert to the old methods when left to their own devices anyway.

DS is in year seven - I spoke to his maths teacher at parents' evening recently. I told him we had taught DS the old methods, not the new ones, and he said it didn't matter which methods a child used as long as it worked for them.

I think the problem is that children learn so many methods that many children don't have time to practise any of them enough to become competent. So if someone picks one method and gets their child to do it over and over again, the child will be able to calculate. Repeating it is more important than the specific method chosen, and you don't need a tutor for that!

Totally agree with MillyR that it is all about practice. I remind my year 7 students what all the methods are for long multiplication. Then say choose which one you like best and make them practise it until they are fast and accurate.

Long division is another story. Chunking may help explain what is happening but as a method it takes too long and students tend to go wrong. Unless they are good with the old fashioned long division method (in which case I let them continue with that) I teach the bus stop method. Quick and simple if you write the multiples down the side if you are dividing by a number larger than 12.

Of course I also teach my students to look for ways of simplifying a division. Writing them as a fraction, you can often divide through by an integer to make the divide easier.

This is the sort of thing they don't seem to show them at KS2.

Fluer - Can you please give an example of the bus stop method?

It is using the short division method even for dividing by (for example) 17.

eg to divide 544 by 17

write a column down the side of the pages with the first few multiples of 17 (you can add to it later if you need to )

17
34
51
68
85
102

then just divide as if it is a short division:

___
17 ) 544

17 into 5 doesn't go
carry 5
17 into 54 goes 3 remainder 3 so carry 3 to make 34
17 into 34 goes 2
done!

if you don't write too small you can carry two digits perfectly easily

if necessary add a decimal point and zeroes and keep dividing

don't do remainders in senior school....

think its called bus stop as the numbers stands in a line with a roof keeping them dry (well maybe)

we just call it the short division method usually but children remember bus stop

hope this helps