Meeting with Maths teacher

[calamityjane]

We are meeting with ds's Maths teacher tomorrow regarding his lack of motivation in the class and not doing very well in the end of term tests!

We have asked for the meeting to try and get ds back on track, he seems to be doing well in the work set in the classroom though.

So we get the most out of the meeting, what questions should we be asking? What would you want to know if it was your dc?

Ds is yr 8

Thanks

How he behaves in class, and what his general attitude to learning is.
whether he completes work in class
whether homework is always handed in and if it is completed to a satisfactory standard.
Whether the teacher has noticed any issues/problem areas.
Come away with some sort of strategy/plan on the way forward.

Thank you Seeline, good questions

I would also ask:
What revision was he expected to do for the tests? (Then find out whether he did this revision?)

As you say his class work is OK (though that seems to contradict the motivation issue), I would maybe ask to see the test papers (if your maths is up to it), or additionally try to find out:

Is there any trend to what he gets wrong?

• Has he completely forgotten the methods? (implies lack of revision)
• Can he do basic questions but not harder ones? (implies lack of understanding / harder questions required to practice with)
• Does he make stupid mistakes? (rushing)
• Are the questions too wordy for him to understand? (comprehension)

Thank you Teen, hopefully we can get to the bottom of it!

How do you know he is not motivated if he is doing well in his class work? You can't just go on test results. I assume maths is setted, so if he is scoring below the set average on tests, that could just be where he is in terms of ability - if he moved down a set he could be scoring very well on the tests, if you see what I mean.

But yes, ask about homework, if it's done on time, whether it seems rushed, how his presentation is (does he show his working?). The teacher might also be able to give pointers as to where he is struggling; if his algebra homework showed an issue, for example.

Does he seem distracted in class? Is he chatty? Would he benefit from a move away from his friends/away from the window/to the front of the class? Would putting him on a report card for a couple of weeks be useful?

Thanks noblegiraffe, it was mentioned as a concern on his report at the end of last term, when they went back last week he had been moved to a different place within the class so will see if that's has any effect on him.

How does DS feel that he is doing in the subject? Has he identified any areas he finds more challenging?

I'd want to find out if he was attempting/completing extension tasks as well as the main class.

Jenny he says he is bored, that he finds the work really easy and they covered it before! This is probably where the lack of motivation comes from, we are trying to find out if he is being challenged and if he is pushing himself!

And we also need to find out what is happening in the tests, and see if we can see his test papers to see where he is going wrong

Have you asked him why if the work is so easy he is doing so badly in the tests?

If he wants to move up a set and be presented with harder work, he needs to be top of the class. This won't happen if he slacks off and thinks he doesn't need to try when he clearly does!