What to do about DS and maths?

[TheFantasticMrsFox]

DS is 10 and has until recently excelled at maths. He has always been on the top table of the top group, consistently good marks in tests, glowing reports etc.

In September he got a new maths teacher who he just doesn't seem to click with. He says he finds him hard to understand and gets easily confused by his explanations. When it comes to homework he gets flustered but with minimal help (I am certainly no mathematician!) he is spot on. His mid term report last Friday was dreadful for maths (compared to every other one he's received) He says he wants to move down a group, which while I think it will solve the issue of him finding the work hard, it won't allow him to fulfill the potential he has always shown.

We have a parent/ teacher consultation in a couple weeks and I need to decide how best to approach this with the teacher. Any advice would be greatly appreciated :)

Speak to the teacher before the consultation and bring the previous reports, be honest with him.

While I agree with Jaffa cake that speaking to the teacher will help - I think you also need to sound out your son.

I'm just a parent, and by no means an expert, but have found there is a tendency as maths becomes a bit more tricky to 'give up' rather than 'persevere'.

Your son just might be chosing the easier work because he's used to maths being easy and doesn't like it being 'work' now. It may also be that the teacher is sensing that your child could be doing better and his avoiding harder/ trickier work comes across as not trying and therefore the teacher is short/ not happy with your son (and your son is picking up on that).

I think it might be worthwhile to find out what the 'sticking point' is right now - if it's slightly shaky calculation skills or doesn't like working out what to do with tricky word problems - this may be a case for persevering and working through the issue rather than 'dodging' the problem.

Thanks both of you

In another strange turn up for the books, it seems that the teacher has marked on the reports if he wants to see parents at parents evening. We do not have a mark so it would seem he is sufficiently unconcerned about DS. I am chasing down an email address so that I can contact him and just see if I can get a better view as to what is going on.

And yes past, I think DS has simply not had to work at maths for so long that he's quite taken aback by finding it hard. I know he's also hugely competitive and it bugs him that there are two other boys for whom maths is a real talent and who easily outstrip him with minimal effort He's upset about the report which I hope will give him a kick up the backside- a couple other subjects also mentioned (although not so baldly) good ability but a tendency to daydream and not apply himself- a real "could try harder"

This, hopefully, will be stuff he is fully aware of, but I include it because I think, sometimes, children can DO maths, using strategies they have learnt, but do not fully UNDERSTAND the basics of numeracy. This is aimed at younger children, so he should be totally confident with it:

Practical things are best for grasping number concepts - bricks, Lego, beads, counters, money, shapes, weights, measuring, cooking.

Do adding, taking away, multiplication (repeated addition), division (sharing), using REAL OBJECTS as just 'numbers' can be too abstract for some children.

Number Bonds of Ten forms the basis of much maths, so try to learn them. Using Lego or something similar, use a LOT of bricks (of just TWO colours, if you have enough) lay them out so the pattern can be seen of one colour INCREASING while the other colour DECREASES. Lay them down, or build up like steps.

So:

ten of one colour none of other
nine of one colour one of other
eight of one colour two of other
seven of one colour three of other

etc,

then of course, the sides are equal at 5 and 5; after which the colours 'swap over' as to increasing/decreasing.

To learn TABLES, do them in groups that have a relationship, thus:

x2, x4, x8

x3, x6, x12

5 and 10 are easy

7 and 9 are rather harder.

Starting with TWO times TABLE, I always say: "Imagine the class is lining up in pairs; each child will have a partner, if there is an EVEN number in the class. If one child is left without a partner, then the number is ODD, because an odd one is left out."

Use Lego bricks again, lay them out in a column of 2 wide to learn 2x table. Go half way down the column, and move half the bricks up, so that now the column is 4 bricks wide. That gives the start of 4x table.

Then do similar things with 3x and 6x.

With 5x, try and count in 'fives', and notice the relationship with 'ten' - they will alternate, ending in 5 then 10.

It is important to try and UNDERSTAND the relationships between numbers, and not just learn them 'by rote'.

An inexpensive solar powered calculator (no battery to run out!) can help learn tables by 'repeated addition'. So: enter 2+2 and press = to give 4. KEEP PRESSING = and it should add on 2 each time, giving 2 times table.

There are good web sites, which can be fun to use :

www.ictgames.com/

www.resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/index.html

Jo Boaler is worth googling x good luck x