Parents Learn How Math Is Taught

At Sandy Hook

By Jeff White

On two recent Wednesdays, teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School did their part to demystify some of the school’s math curriculum for parents who can remember a day when math was taught differently.

“It was one of the most fun [nights] I’ve had at Sandy Hook,” said Grace Ann Hanulik, a parent. “It was very informative.”

The evenings, dubbed “Parents Count,” involved over 12 different stations with different drills and activities that are utilized directly in the classroom. Parents tried their hands at card games and flash card drills, and learned how simple questions like “Count the number of red and green apples in the cart” help foster mathematical skills in younger students.

The purpose for the two evenings was to open parents’ eyes to the way math is now taught in today’s elementary school. Cathy Mazriello, who is both the school’s lead teacher and a math teacher, says that the way mathematics is taught today, with a heavy emphasis on process, differs from a time when the basic skills of adding and subtraction were taught with number tables. The problem is that many parent revert back to how they were taught these skills when they attempt to help their children, and many parents struggle to relate to the more hands-on mathematical teaching being done in the classroom.

“We emphasize process,” says Mrs Mazriello. “We want to know: can a child solve a problem five different ways? We’re teaching students how to solve problems,” as opposed to rote memorization.

Mrs Mazriello describes Sandy Hook’s math curriculum as “strongly language-based,” which stresses problem solving.

Besides attempting certain math drills, parents in the school’s cafeteria had the opportunity to talk with teachers, and teachers in turn gave parents some helpful hints on how to incorporate math lessons in their everyday lives. Time spent with a child in a supermarket, or sitting in a car, can provide an excellent forum for a math question, teachers maintain. In addition, a packet that was handed out included a sheet that listed gift ideas – from Legos and magnets to checkers and fish bowls – that help promote an interest and understanding in math and science.

But did parents come away from the evenings with a better understanding of how they can help their children with their math homework? Grace Ann Hanulik says that now she feels she more effectively helps her third grade daughter.

“I think problem solving is handled in a different manner these days,” she says. “We used to do the times tables.”

“I think they bring a different perspective to the adding and subtracting,” she adds. “Now I can relate to the items that my daughter works with in school.”

With parents in a position to help the math curriculum in their homes, students will have more of an opportunity to build their foundation in math. The biggest change in how math is taught, says Mrs Mazriello, is that “we want students to have a concrete experience in learning math.”