Helping Students with Math Homework

Families often feel unsure about how to help their children with math homework. Many parents/caregivers have told me that they don’t understand the strategies their children are using and don’t know what to do if their child is struggling with a homework assignment. The math education field has work to do to help families make sense of how math is being taught, and to help them figure out how to support their children in mathematics learning. However, I think a good place to start is to assure families that they don’t need to know the strategies students are using in school to support their children at home. They can play an important role in helping their children become mathematically powerful by encouraging and supporting their children in using what they already know and understand to solve problems. When I work with parents I often give out the following questions as a handout to help them in this role. Parents often seem relieved to have this different picture of how they can help, and happy to have this small resource to help them begin to do so. - Arusha Hollister, Investigations 3