Parents often feel a but helpless when it comes to Maths because they don’t feel that they are good at Maths themselves, or never experienced success when they were at school. The great news is that every parent and carer can support their child in the maths classroom. Here are some simple things that can make a huge difference
- Prepare
Does your student have the correct equipment? Students who arrive at class on time, with a workbook, calculator, pens (blue/black and red) pencil, eraser, ruler are ready for anything. Time wasted compromising or borrowing is time out of their learning. It’s a bit like turning up late for a meal and then finding you have no cutlery, drink or serviette. You can still eat the meal, but the satisfaction will definitely be reduced. - Review
Even on days when specific homework has not been given, students should be completing work they did not finish in class or reviewing what they did in class that day. We train our bodies for sports events, practice our instruments for performances, so too we need to spend time reviewing our learning and flexing our brain muscle to achieve success in the classroom. - Keep up to date
The sequential nature of mathematics means that when students miss class they can feel a bit lost when they return. Try to avoid taking your student out of school for reasons other than illness, especially if you know they are not ready for the responsibility of having to catch up on lots of schoolwork. Our expectation is that students will catch up on work missed once they are well enough to do so. Information about what work has been done in class will appear on the class Canvas page. See the next section for how to get help if your student experiences difficulty catching up on their own.
- Help is available
If your student feels that they are struggling with their maths or they have missed a lot of school, spending money on expensive tutors is not your only option. Whilst a bit of one-on-one tuition can be beneficial in many cases, there is support available right here at St Edmund’s.
- a) contact your child’s teacher to let them know your student is experiencing difficulties and that you are keen to work with them to support your student. The classroom teacher will be able to give you honest feedback about changes (often as simple as moving to a different part of the classroom) that will help.
- b) attend after school tutoring. Tutoring is in the library for students in year 7-12 from Tuesday to Friday from 3.30-4.30pm.
- c) Supervised Study is run at lunchtimes on Tuesday and Thursday. Supervised study is no longer just for students who have failed to hand in assessment; it can provide a quiet space during the school day to complete work.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Linda Goth
Head of Mathematics
6239 0601
LGoth@sec.act.edu.au
Now available at the reception for $35, cash or card accepted.