The first thing you need to do is to stay aware of your student’s progress in math. Help make sure they are able to communicate clearly with their teacher about what they are expected to know for upcoming quizzes and tests, when the next test is scheduled, what the homework assignment is and when it is due. You can teach your child how to use a planner or calendar to write in what is expected of them, and check it with them daily until they develop the consistency that will enable them to keep track on their own. Once you are aware of their assignments, you will be in a better position to help them.

Homework is a necessary evil, possibly more so in math than other subjects. This is because math works to build skills that are reinforced through repetition. Because of this, the more your child is able to practice, the better chance he or she has to master the information. Many teachers assign only a portion of the problems in a section for homework. You can help your child complete the remaining problems in a section, or rewrite the problems using different numbers so that your student has extra opportunities to practice. Don’t forget to check to see if answers are available in the back so that you can check your child’s work. You may also be able to find extra practice pages, practice tests and review sections.

Once you have identified a weak area in your child’s math skills, you can write exercises that are designed specifically to work on a single skill. Isolate the smallest step that you can find and help your child practice that specific task until he or she has mastered it before moving on. You can find worksheets and other resources online. Check out sites like MathBuddyOnline that offer exercises designed by educators to help your child improve math skills on any grade level.

While you are helping your child, foster their independence by encouraging them to think through the answer. Encourage them to talk out loud as they work to solve a problem so you can see where they are getting stuck. If you aren’t sure how to help them solve a problem, talk with them about how they could ask the teacher for help. If they are very young, you may consider writing a note (or email) to the teacher, or calling the school during their conference period to discuss the problem with them. Older students may feel embarrassed to ask questions during class, so suggest other times they could come back for help, like before or after school.

If you can see what they are doing wrong, try offering help in the form of a series of hints so that you don’t give more help than they need to figure the problem out. Praise is an important part of this process. Make sure that your child feels successful during every homework session, and if you notice that they are beginning to reach a level of frustration, suggest taking a break, or back up a step to problems that are not so difficult. With a little patience and persistence, you can make a significant difference in your child’s math homework experience.

The term manipulatives is used frequently amongst teachers of mathematics to refer to objects that are used in the classroom to help reinforce the learning of more abstract concepts. For example, when learning about units in math, such as the ones, tens, and hundreds units, objects are often used to represent a grouping of ten or a hundred. Being able to see how the larger units “break” down into smaller pieces is helpful in showing a child how to master this abstract concept.

Manipulatives can be used to illustrate almost any math concept, from time to multiplication. Cutting up a paper plate is a great way to talk about fractions and practice division. Small objects can be used as manipulatives to learn about patterns and grouping. There are lots of cheap, easy-to-use manipulatives that you can find easily:

• Buttons
• Coins
• Beads
• Poker chips
• Craft sticks
• Playing cards
• Erasers
• Bottle tops or soda can tabs
• Pasta shells (can be dyed different colors with food coloring)
• Cereal
• Beans
• Marbles

When your child encounters a math concept that is giving them problems, take a moment to analyze whether there may be a way for you to help your student by making the concept more concrete for them through the use of manipulatives. Any time that they are able to touch, hold, and move objects to represent the numbers they are working with, they improve their chances of mastery.

To begin determining how a manipulative might be helpful for your student, stop to ask questions and isolate exactly where the problem is occurring. Is the child missing an important step in setting the problem up? Does your child know which math operation is necessary to solve the problem? Is the issue a lack of understanding of more basic concepts that build on one another to enable the student to solve the problem? When you narrow down which step in the process is causing trouble, you know which step could benefit from the use of manipulatives.

Once you have decided what aspect of the math lesson needs reinforcement, choose a manipulative that makes sense. If you need many of them to represent a large number, choose very small items. Make sure you have a plan for working with objects that may roll. Take your child’s interests into consideration. You are more likely to be successful in engaging your child in practice math activities if they are interested in handling the manipulatives. Ask them for ideas about things that they can use to help illustrate a problem that they are trying to solve. Let them be a part of the learning process, and you will hold their attention for longer!

Above all, approach the use of manipulatives with a low-key enthusiasm. Show your student that using manipulatives can make learning math easier and more fun. Once they have an appreciation for these tools, they will look forward to working with them, and begin to understand how they are used in solving problems. Math manipulatives can be a great way to make abstract math concepts seem more concrete.

• Probability – Have you ever stopped to figure out what the chances are that you will win a free soda if the label says, “One In Six Wins!” and you buy two? You are figuring out the probability. The same applies to any other “chance” occurrences, like flipping a coin or rolling dice, perhaps as part of a game.

Basic math operations – Try including your math learner in your budget planning or checkbook balancing session. Show them how you must carefully add and subtract the numbers, and why correct math is so important when handling money.

• Percentages – Shopping for items on sale is a great way to point out how figuring percentages can be useful, such as finding 10% off of the sweater you want to buy.

Estimation – Help your student guess how many people are at the ballpark, how many hot dogs your family eats in a year, how much pizza to order for a party or anything else! Make sure to point out that estimation is an important math skill.

• Measurement units – Pretty much everything we do in a day involves measurement units – time, length, weight, capacity, currency and temperature. In addition to day to day things, get your child involved in locating places on a map, finding distances between cities, read temperature in different cities from a newspaper, paying the cashier in a supermarket and collecting the change etc.

When your young student needs to use the Internet, you want to make sure that he or she stays safe while finding information that is useful and relevant. Fortunately, there are several ways to do this effectively.

The first thing you should consider is that there are pros and cons to restricting your child’s access to the Internet. While filtering can typically restrict much of the content and images that you do not want your child to be exposed to, it may also hinder the student’s ability to access great web content that has legitimate educational purposes.

How is filtering different from monitoring, and which method should you use to produce the best results? In order to determine your course of action, consider the difference in filtering and monitoring.

When you filter the Internet for your child, you use a service that screens websites and makes a determination whether or not the content is appropriate for certain age levels.

Monitoring, on the other hand, attempts to encourage responsible use of the Internet by providing guidance in the form of accountability. Monitoring software allows you to track the sites visited by your child, the length of time spent on a page, and which links were clicked. You can even monitor your student’s keystrokes to see exactly what they are typing while they are using the computer.

If you decide that monitoring is the way to go, you can begin immediately, without purchasing any expensive equipment. One great way to monitor Internet use is to view the browser history provided by your browser. Most well-known browsers have settings that allow you to track up to a month’s worth of activity. If your child learns how to block this ability, they may be able to erase their browser history with just a few clicks, so in order for this method to work, you must know your child’s technological capabilities. The cache and cookies stored on your computer also contain information about what has been viewed and which sites have been interacted with, but again, a savvy child will be able to edit or delete this information.

You can also purchase software that will allow the screen of a student to be viewed on the monitor of an adult who can supervise the Internet activity. When possible, work with your child to explain what areas of the Internet he or she may use, and watch them interact with the Internet from time to time to teach them healthy ways of finding the information they need online. Once you are able to establish a trust relationship with your child, you may find that you need to monitor his or her Internet usage less frequently. It is important that your child is aware that you are monitoring their activity and have certain expectations for the time that they spend online. Showing your student what you expect will give them the tools they need to act responsibly while they use the Internet.

When used responsibly, the Internet is a powerful tool that can help your child succeed in school.

Click here to access Math Buddy to check out activities, worksheets and much more now..

Visual Learners: Visual learners take in information more easily if it is presented visually. They learn best from visual displays. Charts, worksheets, diagrams, illustrations, videos and written information are the best ways to present concepts to these types of learners. They also rely heavily on the body language of the teacher and his or her facial expression as they learn the information. You can help a visual learner be more successful in the classroom if you make sure they are able to sit closely enough to see the teacher, the board, and the overhead screen clearly. Teach them how to take good notes so that they have the visual reminder of the things they have learned. Help them draw pictures, graphs, or other visual representations of the information they are trying to learn.

The more ways that a visual learner is able to see the information, the better they will be able to retain what they are being presented. Visual learners study best using flash cards, written notes, and other visual mnemonics. You can help your visual learner study effectively when you know what they need to be most successful.

Auditory Learners: Auditory learners absorb information best through discussion and verbal presentation of material. These individuals have a greater sensitivity to the speaker’s tone of voice, pitch, speed, and other subtleties of speech and language. It is more difficult for them to gain information from written material unless they are allowed to read it out loud or have it read to them.

You can help your young auditory learner master concepts more quickly by presenting it to them in a story format, acting out a script or skit that presents the information, or using a tape recorder. If possible, important information can be recorded on a tape recorder or in a digital format on your computer so that the auditory learner can replay the information as often as he or she needs.

Tactile/Kinesthetic Learners: The best way for tactile/kinesthetic learners to process information is through hands-on learning. When these individuals are allowed to physically explore the world around them, they absorb the information presented to them and make connections more easily. Often, these learners have trouble in the conventional classroom because their learning style is not conducive to sitting quietly for long periods of time. They need the freedom to be active and explore in order to learn.

Help your kinesthetic learner by presenting the information they need to learn in a concrete, physical way whenever possible. Use manipulatives that your child can hold and experiment with during math practice. Encourage your student to walk around while studying flash cards, notes, or other written material. Provide a guided stretch break during homework and study sessions. When reading, these learners often benefit from following along the page with a finger beneath the words.

When a mismatch occurs between your child’s learning style and his or her teacher’s teaching style, you might notice problems start to develop in class. Your child may have trouble listening, paying attention, or following instructions. You may see his or her grades begin dropping and notice a disinterest in the subject matter. Fortunately, if you are aware of your child’s learning style and are working with a cooperative teacher, this is easily remedied.

]]> http://blog.mathbuddyonline.com/?feed=rss2&p=39 0 http://blog.mathbuddyonline.com/?p=27 http://blog.mathbuddyonline.com/?p=27#comments Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:11:42 +0000 Kannan http://blog.inhomeacademy.com/?p=27 We are happy to announce that Math Buddy (http://www.mathbuddyonline.com ), has received the “Ready” accreditation status for use with SMART Technologies Inc.’s SMART Board interactive whiteboard. Accreditation at the “Ready” level means SMART finds Math Buddy to be easy to use, intuitive and interactive for use with its SMART Board interactive whiteboards.

Calgary, Alberta-based SMART Technologies Inc., the segment leader in the interactive whiteboard market, invites educational software publishers to participate in its Software Accreditation Program so that the interactive whiteboard maker’s customers “know which content and software work best with SMART products.” Approved publishers may display SMART Board interactive whiteboard logo art to indicate that their software satisfies the requirements of the program.

Teachers can use SMART Boards interactive whiteboards and Sympodium interactive pen displays with Math Buddy to demonstrate concepts they want students to learn.

Technology is fast becoming an integral part of education. As more teachers start using technology, combination of powerful tools such as interactive whiteboard and exciting, engaging software such as Math Buddy will redefine the way instruction is carried out in a classroom environment.

We are looking to work with many other technology tools that complement Math Buddy and help the teaching community to better illustrate the concepts.

Click here to access Math Buddy.

Teaching children to do Sudoku is a great way to enhance their logical reasoning skills while having fun. While the usual sudoku puzzles are done on a 9×9 grid, we can use a smaller 4×4 grid to teach the basics to kids.

Kids as young as first graders can solve a 4×4 Sudoku once they get an understanding of the puzzle. Follow these simple steps to teach a child Sudoku.

Make a 4×4 grid on a paper. You can use the interactive sudoku puzzle in Math Buddy Funzone to make it more interesting.
Explain the rules to the child. You will need to make sure they understand the differences between rows, columns, and mini-grids. The objective is to complete the grid of numbers so that no row, column or the smaller 2×2 boxes (mini-grids) contain the same number twice.
Ask the child to first look for rows, columns or boxes that have three numbers already filled in. Fill in the missing numbers where appropriate and use this new information to help find other digits.
	Next, ask them to take each of the empty squares and write down the possible numbers that could go in those squares by looking at other numbers in the row or column. By elimination, find the numbers that go into the empty squares.
You will need to sit with your child and help them out initially. Occasionally point out the answers if they get frustrated. They will eventually see the patterns and be able to do it on their own.

Math Buddy has created an interactive Sudoku for kids to help kids get introduced to Sudoku. You can have your kid try this and other interesting puzzles in the “Interactive Puzzles” section of Fun Zone.

Start off your child with a fun Sudoku now by clicking here

It was my visit to Atul Vidyalaya in September 2007 to meet Mr. Sundaram that defined our direction and gave us the confidence that what we were attempting was something that was going to be beneficial to educators and learners. I was impressed by his passion and love towards Mathematics, and his ways of explaining the concepts in very simple, logical and practical manner which he attributed to his mentor, Dr. P. K. Srinivasan. Mr. Sundaram has devoted himself to helping to improve the quality of Math education by going around the country organizing workshops for teachers to help them use conceptual methods for teaching using simple physical objects.

Mr. Sundaram had created an excellent Mathematics lab at Atul Vidyalaya, and had trained his teachers to imbibe his vision and methods to help kids understand the concepts behind Math. During our discussion, we could see that a lot of his ideas were amenable to implementation using the electronic medium and were in line with what we were trying to do with Math Buddy. He volunteered to create the first topic on teaching number systems using simple activities, which has served as the blue print for most of the topics that we have at Math Buddy.

I have met Mr. Sundaram a few times during our development of Math Buddy, and he has always been supportive, encouraging and providing newer ideas to improve on what we were doing.

Mentor magazine (http://www.mentormagazine.net) published a cover story on Mr. Sundaram in their November 2007 issue. I will try getting their permission to attach a PDF version of their article.

Thank you, Mr. Sundaram for your support and contributions to the development of Math Buddy!

Click here to access Math Buddy