How to Make Math Meaningful

There appears to be a disconnection between that which is being taught in the classroom and the real world applications of these skills. After all, ask a third grader why multiplication and division are important skills to have and the odds are good that the response will be little more than a shrug of the shoulders. Even though students are able to zoom through a sheet with 100 problems in less than five minutes, they are woefully unable to connect real life scenarios to the processes. As a parent or educator you know that the only way to kindle and keep fanned the flames of eager learning is with the help of practical, hands on methods and outcomes. Follow these simple steps and you will not only learn how to make math meaningful for your student, but you may actually prepare her for success in any one of the “number crunching” professions.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Copy of your child’s math curriculum
• Knowledge of learning styles
• Lego blocks
• Sharpie
• Computer
• Internet access

1. Request a copy of the math curriculum from your child’s teacher. The goal is for you to understand what is being taught in the classroom and in what order the skills are being presented. This helps to facilitate your work at home with the child.

2. Know your child’s particular learning style. Some are auditory learners and prefer the conversational method of receiving information while others are strictly visual and need pictures or objects. Still other children are analytical learners, who like to reason things out, while there are those who are kinesthetic learners and need to touch and sort and manipulate. Learning how to make math meaningful requires you to know what kind of learner your student is.

3. Investigate the concept of an equation. For example, you are working on a simple addition 1 + 1 = 2. Turn it into an object lesson involving Lego blocks. Ask your child to give you one Lego block. Praise your child when she hands you one block. Now ask her to give you another block. Praise her again when she gives you a second block. Ask your child how many blocks you have. Depending on her age, and learning in school, she might answer "two."

4. Put the concept into plain words using proper terminology. Explain that each Lego block just got a name: Addend. Make an “A” on one side of each block with the Sharpie. Explain that because the blocks are now a part of a math equation they have special powers. Tell the child that when the blocks meet up in the same equation, they have the power to form a “sum.” On the other side of the blocks, mark the letter “S” in such a manner that half of the letter is on one block and the other half is on the other block. Your child is now familiar with the correct terminology of the addition equation.

5. Let your child repeat this experiment with other Lego blocks. Ask her to make the sum of two by bringing you the correct number of addends. Within one or two such tries, your child should have the concept down pat. Repeat as often as necessary to get there.

6. Change your voice and let your child know that there is a big secret-- there can be bigger addends and they make bigger numbers! Put together the first two Lego blocks and then put together the next two for a sum of four. Assuming your child is able to count up to four, let her do the counting and again employ the Sharpie to make a big “A” on one set of two blocks and another big “A” on the other set. Connect all four blocks and make the letter “S” for sum on the other side.

7. Let your child take apart the blocks and put them back together and encourage her to state, and restate, the problem. Make up stories about addends and sums.

8. Take your child on a field trip. Next time you go to the store, take her with you and emphasize all the simple additions you are doing. If you are buying potatoes, do not buy the bag but opt for the loose potatoes. Let her count the addends of two that make up the sum of four and so forth.

9. Reinforce the concept of addition at home as well. For example, explain that socks only come in sums of twos and ask your child to extrapolate how many addends that would require.

10. Transfer this tactic to subtraction, multiplication and division as well.

Tips & Warnings

• Invest in a cheap abacus. They are wonderful for the kinesthetic and visual learners.
• Remember: repetition is the mother of all learning!
• Do not go faster than your child is willing! The goal is not to have your first grader doing mixed fractions by the end of the school year Instead, keep it light and fun and proceed slowly.
• Do not use baby talk or dumb down terminology for your child. She is smarter than you give her credit for. If you are dealing with a “sum” call it that and do not talk about an “amount” instead. If you are dealing with subtraction, talk about the “difference” rather than the “leftovers." She will understand you perfectly fine if you help her practice saying the words and continuously combine the meaning with them.

Resources

• Parents of hearing impaired children will find a lot of help making math meaningful at the DeafEd.Department.TCNJ.Edu website.
• Play online games with your little one like Tamba’s Abacus at the BBC.CO.UK website.
• Use other online games to make math meaningful in a varied learning environment with the help of the GlobalClassroom.org website.

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