Maths at Home
One of the most important things you can learn from maths is problem solving and problem solving skills are what's needed to be good at maths. The good news is you can develop problem solving skills, but you wont do it through maths exercises. See our problem solving section for more.
PARENTS we would like to share with you some tips on how you can incorporate some problem solving and mathematical thinking into your daily routine. The Maths Week Problem Solving Philosophy is very much underpinned by the concept of a ‘growth mindset’.
Scroll down for more on this important topic to encourage your children.
There are loads of fun maths activities that we can do with everyday things that you might have at home.... and a little imagination. Negative attitudes towards maths can seriously impair progress and these activities are a fun no-pressure way of promoting a positive attitude (and keeping young people occupied). These activities are great for encouraging a "growth mindset" and developing problem solving skills.
Children don't have to be doing structured tasks to learn, in fact they can learn so much at play and from helping you with the household chores.
We will be running new Target Boards every day. Target Boards are a great fun way for your class to practice arithmetic. They won’t even realise they are working! There are two levels:
- Junior up to 3rd Class / Primary 5 (8-9yrs)
- Senior from 4th Class / Primary 6 (9-10 yrs)
A set of 9 numbers is given and using any of these numbers (only once in each expression) and the four operators, find out how many expressions you can make that makes up the target number.
The idea is to come up with as many expressions using the numbers on the board and the operators. You can register as a class and use the same registration code or you can register as an individual (or family).
Everybody loves simultaneous equations, right? Especially when they are in emoji form 😊
Well we have lots of simultaneous equations for you here. Imagine that lots of people are doing simultaneous equations simultaneously!
Working with Maths Week, Lorna Wilson a secondary maths teacher came up with the superb idea: Simultaneous simultaneous equations. To make it more fun and engaging for students we have taken away the x’s and y’s and replaced them with emojis – What child/teenager doesn’t love emoji’s right? Even some adults do too!!?? Click on the link below to get resources for Key stage 1/1st class all the way up to A-levels/6th year.
Here at Maths Week we are obsessed with the game 24. Very much like target boards but we play it with arithmetic all around us, for example randomly pick 4 cards from a deck and using the same rule try to reach 24. (J=11, Q=12, K=13, A=1) You can simplify this game for younger players by leaving out the picture cards.
Another version of the game uses car registration plates! Plates in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have a sequence of digits that we can use:
Using the sequence of numbers on the right of the plate can you make up the number 24?
One solution to the first plate above is (2x4)x3+(9x0)=24. One solution to the second plate is (7x4)-(9-5)=24.
In most cases it is possible. In many cases there are several ways. In some cases there are none.
We'll present a new set of plates each day for you to try here and you can see some advanced moves you can add.
Growth Mindset
PARENTS we would like to share with you some tips on how you can incorporate some problem solving and mathematical thinking into your daily routine. The Maths Week Problem Solving Philosophy is very much underpinned by the concept of a ‘growth mindset’.
Having and developing a ‘growth mindset’ about maths is a key element in succeeding at maths. The terms ‘fixed mindset’ and ‘growth mindset’ were coined by Dr Carol Dweck to describe the underlying beliefs people have about learning and intelligence. Everyone has a mindset or a core belief about how they learn, and the type a person has, i.e. fixed or growth, impacts on the outcomes they can have in that particular area.
A fixed mindset describes someone who believes that their level of intelligence cannot be changed. They are born with a certain limit on what they can achieve and nothing they do will change this. Somebody with a growth mindset believes that their intelligence can grow depending on the amount of effort they put in.
As adults and teachers, we must be careful about the mindset we have about maths. It is important to note at this stage that maths is not a gene that is passed down from a mother or father. A person can succeed in maths depending on the effort they put in. It is therefore important that, as adults, we are saying and doing the right things to encourage this.
Parents should think carefully about the types of praise they use when practicing maths at home. They should not always praise the child that finishes everything first or gets everything right the first time around. This implies that you must be quick and accurate in maths which is not the case. Maths is about exploring possibilities and so effort needs to be praised. Mistakes are a valuable learning experience and should be acknowledged as such.
Words/phrases that encourage a growth mindset and should be used by teachers and parents include:
- How did you do that? Share your method with others
- Tell me more
- Are you sure?
- How do you know?
- Wow – that’s great – well done!
- That looks like it took a lot of effort.
- How many ways did you try before you found the right way?
- What do you plan to do next?
- Would you change anything if you had to do it again? Why?
- How could you simplify the problem? How could you make it more challenging?
Words to avoid using regularly and that will encourage a fixed mindset include:
- Smart
- Clever
- Fast/quick
- Best
As always it is about the context in which you give praise and be conscious of the impact you are having on the other children at home when giving praise.
See more advice on our Parent's Page
There are several great videos clips on YouTube about Growth Mindset: