Maths Matters
Many people believe that they are either a maths person or not. There is no such thing. It is important to dispel this myth with your daughter and to encourage the idea of a growth mindset - that through hard work and practice you can get better at maths. People with a growth mindset use effective strategies to learn and are willing to seek help from others when needed.
Image courtesy of Joshua Combes - CAPA Coordinator
Remember that maths skills are not genetic and a home environment that has a positive attitude towards maths can have a positive impact on a child’s maths achievement. Studies show that as soon as mothers shared the idea with their daughter that they were bad at maths at school, their daughter’s achievement went down.
It is important not to focus on doing maths with speed. Whilst practising skills and being more fluent in mathematical calculations is important, drilling and speed skills can lead to maths anxiety– especially in girls.
Encourage your children to play maths puzzles and games. Anything that uses dice can help to develop number sense – having an idea of the size of numbers and being able to separate and combine numbers flexibly. Board games and card games are also great for social development too. The College library has a great range of these for the girls to access at recess and lunch.
Talk to your children about finance. You don’t need to share the details of your family finance but instead have general conversations about things such as bank accounts, credit cards, budgeting and paying bills. This can help to develop familiarity with these systems and the terminology they use.
Michelle Parker - Mathematics Teacher