Being a champion for your kids is as much about maintaining an artifice as proving the goods. You want your children to see you as a competent resource in anything they may encounter.
Math homework offers frustrations and challenges unlike other disciplines. The answers don’t change and the teaching methods change. You may well find yourself able to get an answer but unable to explain how.
Motivating a child to learn by learning yourself as you go is a good start. Offering some carrot to go with the stick of frustration by explaining future uses of math for exciting careers is also an idea.
Really getting into the flow of the current math teaching paradigm is key. Read on for handy resources in this regard.
Math Homework Help
Helping out with weekly math homework answers does little to help with overall learning. That is because math is about the process leading to correct answers more than just the answers.
It’s funny, even though the result is the most important part in most aspects of life, math really drives home the means have to justify the ends.
Keep in mind the golden rule of math learning – don’t force it. After 15 minutes, pushing the issue creates resentment rather than helping achieve a solution.
Processes
Depending on the grade of homework you are encountering, the answers will be obvious to you but the processes being taught will not.
Modern 3rd-grade homework uses systems that count categories and broadly conceptualize the numbers to explain the underlying idea. Simply providing an answer doesn’t help a child link the concept to the end result.
Start by admitting that you also find the process obtuse but worthwhile. Putting yourself in your kid’s shoes brings you together. That you are learning the methods as they do becomes an asset.
Next, work backward from the answer. Feign ignorance (though feigning may not be necessary) and let them explain it to you. That gives them confidence and demonstrated knowledge.
Examples
Rely on the power of the Internet Age. You can find sites that provide tons of examples for every type of problem.
These sites also give detailed step-by-step walkthroughs of different methods.
Not every child (or person) learns in the same way. By accessing multiple examples, you can hone in on a pattern that helps your child learn and understand.
Tools
On the subject of learning methods, the Internet also has many tools and programs for assisting in math learning.
Some of these provide tutorials and explanations. Others are dedicated learning services. Programs like Thinkster Math provide a combination of explanation, guided problem-solving, and blind problem-solving.
At a college level, online-based programs are used to teach concepts from algebra through calculus.
If they can teach those subjects, they can walk you through some weekly math homework for the 6th grade.
Hit the Books
Helping out with a child’s math homework takes time and understanding. Not just of the subject matter, but your own child.
Staying on top of your own education helps immensely. If you put int he work, you will reap the benefits.
