Maths information talk 17 th April 2012 Making maths fun!

What was your perception of maths when you were at school? Maths is a ‘marmite subject’? Quotes from adults: ‘I hated Maths at school’ ‘I was doing long division by the age of 9 but never understood a word of it’. Quote from a child: What is the point of maths when you can use a calculator?

Be aware!! Approaches have changed, and may appear different to the way you were taught! (Please look at the calculation policy on the school website if want further details). Understanding is more important than process. Focus is on developing skills in mental calculation – efficiency in choice of methods Fluency in manipulating numbers is a key skill

At home Cooking- weighing, counting, mixing in right proportions, programming the microwave, setting the table, sharing out the Easter eggs! Games- Monopoly, card games, Uno, Yahtzee, Scrabble, snakes and ladders, loads of different things you can do with cards. Talk about time. How long between ‘tea and bed’? Maths games/puzzles on the internet. Fantasy football league!!!

Out and about Make maths part of life!! Children develop a love of books if parents read to them regularly, and the same principle applies to maths. See if your child can spot number patterns in the prices when you’re doing the supermarket shop. On a car journey, who can be the first to find a number plate that adds up to 15? Games than involve adding up e.g 1 point for every lorry, 2 points for a supermarket lorry, 3 points for an Eddie Stobart!! Let them help you with the shopping- supermarket or internet!

Developing thinking skills Ask open questions such as “How could we work that out? or “What else can you try?” Questions such as these might encourage your child to think through the problem a little more. Sometimes, children can’t see the point of maths. But without mathematics, we wouldn’t have cars, computers, or countless other things we all take for granted. Talk about great engineers – from the pyramid-builders of Egypt, to the teams who build Formula 1 Cars. Maths DOES makes the world go ROUND!!

Problem solving This 6 pack of Marmite crisps costs £1:32. How much does each bag cost? If an individual pack costs 30p how much are you saving per packet or in total? How many two pences make up 10p? If I give you £1 pocket how many different ways could I give it to you? If I give you 4 coins to make up £1 what coins must they be? Often children can ‘do the maths’ but find it more difficult to solve when in a practical situation.

Mental maths skills Can I do this in my head ? Do I need to make a jotting to show what I am thinking? Do I need to use a written method? If so, which one is the most efficient?

Mental strategies = = 82 – 77 = 5 x 3 or 3 x 5

Estimation Don’t underestimate the power of estimation This is an excellent skill and is probably used 90% of the time when you’re an adult. As maths skills improve there is a real benefit in asking “what do you think the answer will be?” This will encourage the child to think through the problem, discard inappropriate answers and become more confident. Good estimation skill will also improve accuracy as the child will begin to trust their own judgment.

Multiplication 13 x 4 =

Thank you for listening On the parent section of the school website, in addition to these slides, there are copies of the booklet that we have handed out this evening. There is also a copy of the joint calculation policy agreed with GVC that shows some of the ways we teach different strategies and methods. There is also a copy of an excellent Dept of Education booklet called ‘Understanding progress in maths- a guide for parents.