Babies Overboard! Uncovering Mathematics Genius in Your

Child

Dr. Lou MatthewsThe University of South

Carolina UpstateLmatthews@uscupstate.edu

• All students can achieve excellence in mathematics!

• All parents can empower their children to do so!

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP YOUR CHILD REACH THE STANDARDS

• Expect your child to succeed. • Share with your child an upbeat attitude

toward mathematics. • Point out how mathematics is used every

day. • Ask your children about mathematics

classes and the work they bring home. • Talk with your child about mathematics and

solve problems together. • Connect to the Internet and locate websites

that provide information and ideas about math.

Myth, Fact, or Debatable?

• Mathematics is best defined as a collection of related facts involving numbers, symbols, laws and procedures.

• People learn mathematics best by carefully absorbing the material and activities presented.

• Students either have a natural talent for excellence in mathematics—or they don’t!

• Students must master the basics FIRST, in order to achieve excellence in mathematics

Traditional View

• Mathematics as information.

• People learn mathematics by absorbing information.

• Not all students are capable of excellence in mathematics.

• Mathematics is doing

• People learn mathematics by constructing ideas for themselves.

• All students can learn mathematics successfully.

Contemporary View

Parent Ideas about Math

• Parent A – Math is "something that changes too

often because I can't even help Caroline (her 9th grade student) with her homework".

• Parent B – "Math is taught through memorization.

I remember being told, It doesn't matter why just do it this way.“

What’s Driving Mathematics Programs around the World? Standards

Problem Solving

Reasoning/Proof

CommunicationConnections

Representation

Number and Operations

Algebra

Geometry

Measurement

Data Analysis

Probability

Algebra Standards

• Understand patterns, relations and functions

• Represent and analyze mathematical situations and structures using algebraic symbols (symbol sense)

• Use mathematics models to represent and understand quantitative relationships (Modeling)

• Analyze change in various contexts (variable)

Example: Understanding patterns, relations, and functions

Lower Primary

Patterns of sounds and shapes or simple numeric patterns

UpperPrimary

Generalizations about geometric and numeric patterns

Middle Generalize a variety of patterns with tables graphs, words and, symbolic rules

High Generalize patterns using equations andfunctions

What is Changing and How?

The temperature of a cup of hot tea

that is left for two hours on the kitchen table.

What do you see?

1 2 1 2

Symbols and Terminology

LineStraight of Slope12

12

xxyyM

Y2 = Temperature after 2 hours

Y1 = Temperature after 1 hour

X2 = Temperature after 2 hours

X1 = Temperature after 1 hour

Uncovering Genius! Building a Mathematics Program for Your Child• Year-Round!

– Summer Advancements/Enrichment• Mathematics Everywhere!

– Strategy, Communication, Questioning, Problem Solving

• Mathematics Everyday• Standards! Standards! Standards!

Choosing Good Problems/Activities• Answer is not obvious• Requires student reflection and

communication– The Rule of Four

• Challenging/Risky• Connected to Standards

Mathematically• Has connection to everyday

living, culture and community.

Rule of Four!

The Rule of Four

Writing Math with

symbols

Talking Math

Identifying Graphs and

Pictures

Realistic

Toy Problem

$30.00

$44.00

How much does a car cost? How much is a football? Explain.

Estimate and Measure

• . Collect about seven small jars and containers of different sizes and shapes. Ask your child to compare the jars to see which hold more and which less. Then line them up in order from least to most. Is the first actually smallest? To find out, fill it with uncooked rice. If it is really the smallest, that rice should fit into the next container. Pour all of the rice into the next one. Does it all fit? Is there room for still more? If so, add more rice. Continue down the whole line of containers in that way to see if the order is correct.

Practice Mental Math and Estimation• Ask your child to determine the tip to be left at a

restaurant, to estimate the height of a really tall flagpole, and to figure out how much longer you’ll be riding if you’re driving at 55 miles per hour with 130 miles left to go. Share with your child the methods you used to solve these problems. Ask your child to explain how he or she solved the problems. If you have fun doing problems like these, you can make up some that will take the two of you a long time to solve. How many boards do you think are in the boardwalk?

Interpret a Graph.

• From news programs on TV to sports pages to weather reports, the media is increasingly filled with graphs, tables, and charts that summarize information. The next time you come across a data display on a topic that would be interesting to your child, sit down together to try to interpret it. Work together to formulate answers to these kinds of questions: What conclusions can you draw from the data? What questions are raised by the data? Why is it important for you as citizens, sports fans, or consumers to understand this graph (or chart or table)? Create and analyze your own data by keeping a record of temperatures, baseball scores, store prices, or other variables. (Use a database or spreadsheet if possible.)