My observations about math…
I’m sharing my public comments from the August BOE meeting with my thoughts and observations about math with my three kids. I am curious if others have had similar experiences.
Good Afternoon,
My name is Lisa Maisano and I’m a mom to 3 children in the school system. I’m also a candidate for the Board of Education, but today I wanted to share some observations as a parent of a 10th grader and two 7th graders. I’m an engineer by training, so I like math and I have done quite a few math problems over the years. I am involved with my children’s education and pay attention to their schoolwork and grades and several things have stuck out to me over the years concerning math.
First, it is a struggle to get them to show all of their work on paper. I feel like I tell my kids until I’m blue in the face to show their work, but it is not a habit for them. Somehow, they seem to write less down. Particularly when doing IXL or DeltaMath for homework, they should start by writing the problem and doing all of their work on paper. Last year my son had a bound math workbook for his high school class which I thought was a great idea. It kept all his notes in one place and I would like to see that practice expanded for other grades.
Second, they do not do nearly the amount of math practice that I did in elementary and middle school. I think the majority of students need additional practice in order to really master a skill, whether that be worksheets, IXL, or DeltaMath.
Lastly, I am a big proponent of learning from your mistakes. Math tests are done on the computer and although a score is visible, the work and exact reason a student lost points is not apparent. It has been my family’s experience that the only way you can see what you did wrong is to schedule a time with the teacher to go over the test since they are not permitted to send them home. This presents a barrier to learning from your mistakes. On more than one occasion I have used parent/teacher conference time as an opportunity to go over my child’s math tests. Without seeing what my child did wrong, I struggle to reinforce those concepts that they need more practice with at home. While I understand the need to practice for required computerized testing, I feel that paper and pencil assignments and tests would give students better mastery of the material. Similar to the days of scantrons, we could have students do their work on paper and then transfer over their answers to the computer for grading.
As I learn more about the new math policy and revising the school schedules to allow for additional small groups and individualized supports for students, I believe a greater focus on rigorous paper and pencil-based practice can help our students be more successful.