Dear teacher,
I always dreaded math classes and quit taking math courses as soon as possible, but I want my children to be successful in the subject. Can you help?
Dear parent,
Parents can definitely contribute to making sure that their children develop math skills. One of the best ways to do this is by helping them develop and keep a keen interest in math.
All young children start out being interested in math. They love to count objects and line them up in groups, like putting two ducks and three bears together to get five. They also love to play games in which they are throwing the dice and counting the number of squares that they can move.
Parents need to encourage this almost automatic interest in math. According to Jo Boaler, a professor of mathematics education at Stanford University, the best encouragement comes from providing a setting in which children’s mathematical thinking is validated and encouraged. When parents give children a set of pattern blocks or Cuisenaire rods, they will do all sorts of mathematical things with them. This is the time for parents to marvel at the shapes or repeating patterns that the children have created.
Besides providing a setting that fosters mathematical thinking, children should be given puzzles and problems to solve. Then parents and children can work on them together. This does not have to be a nightly ritual, but it can be done at the dinner table from time to time. It is important for parents to ask questions about how children are trying to solve a problem, and for children to get in the habit of asking questions as they talk over how they will solve a problem. Children will gain enthusiasm for math through solving challenging problems. If parents can’t think of any to share with their children, they can search online for classic math problems.
There is one no-no in encouraging children’s interest in math. Parents must not share their own negative experiences.
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Look for these signs of vision problems
Dear teacher,
My children always pass the vision screening at school. Beyond this, are there any signs of possible vision problems that I should be looking for?
Dear parent,
Vision plays an extremely important role in childhood development academically, socially, and athletically, according to Dr. Kara M. Cavuoto of the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. She encourages parents to take advantage of any vision screening opportunities that may be available to them.
According to the Institute, parents should be aware of complaints and signs that may indicate a child has an eyes or vision problem:
• Does your child hold objects close to the face when trying to focus or sit close to the television?
• Does your child have frequent headaches?
• Is there an unusual appearance to the eyes?
• Is there frequent blinking or eye rubbing?
• Is there unusual sensitivity to light?
• Does your child close or cover one eye?
• Do one or both eyelids droop, or does one eyelid tend to close?
• Is the iris (colored part of the eye) different in color in the two eyes?
• Do the eyes tend to “dance” or show to-and-fro movements (nystagmus)?
• Do the eyes appear to turn in, out, up, or down, or tend to intermittently drift off center?
• Is there a head tilt or turn, particularly when concentrating on objects at a distance or near?
• Does your child complain of seeing double?
• Does your child lose his or her place when reading?
• Does your child have difficulty remembering what he or she reads?
Parents should keep vision in mind when equipping their children with all of the necessary tools for a successful school year. If there is a family history of significant pediatric eye or vision disorders or a potential eye or vision problem is detected during a screening examination, the child is usually referred for a comprehensive eye examination by a pediatric ophthalmologist or an eye care specialist appropriately trained to evaluate and treat pediatric patients.
The right grade to learn coding
Dear teacher,
My fourth-grader is learning to code. Is this too early? What are the benefits?
Dear parent,
Technology is here to stay, with everyone using computers and mobile devices. Besides knowing how to use computers, students should know what the computer is doing. The more they know about computers, the better the results they will have with applications.
The benefits of learning to code when they are young will give them definite advantages. Coding will help them develop such positive traits as problem-solving and analytical skills, as well as increase creativity.
Parents should send questions and comments to deart
© Compass Syndicate Corporation, 2016.
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