Maths at St Matthew’s

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had many conversations with parents about using NAPLAN style maths textbooks at home to help their children with maths concepts. Unfortunately, this type of “worksheet style” approach to maths does very little for your child with regards to deep understanding. I recently read an article entitled “The Problem with Worksheets/Textbooks”. I’ve popped the main points below.

They often have a “right” answer. Which means that they also have a wrong answer. However, the wrong answer doesn’t allow children to use trial and error to learn from it. Instead, the wrong answers on a worksheet lead children to believe that there is no value in risk-taking because only the right answers are valued. Seeing a lot of wrong answers can also reduce a child’s belief in her/his ability.

• Similarly, they can only be used in one way. This means that children aren’t using higher order thinking skills like they would if they were playing with concrete materials.
• Children are concrete learners, which means they need concrete objects in order to learn a new concept. Pages from textbooks like NAPLAN are abstract and are therefore incapable of teaching this type of learner. This is what makes them developmentally inappropriate.
• Since these textbooks can’t teach children of such a young age, that means the only thing they can do is present, or test, a concept that children already know. And if children already know it, then why are we wasting our time on it?
• Worksheets and textbooks are task-oriented activities rather than learning activities. When completing a worksheet, the goal becomes to finish the worksheet rather than learn the task at hand.
• They don’t allow children to work together or collaborate on a project. At an age where social skills are of the utmost importance and are still forming, the activities in our classrooms and homes should promote collaboration, not discourage it.
• Textbooks do not allow for creativity, divergent thinking, or the opportunity to display learning in different ways.
• Textbooks and worksheets waste valuable time, focus on teaching only rote skills (Volante, 2004).
• Overly academic approaches may offer short term success, such as children being able to recite alphabet letters or rote count, but this comes at a cost. Children that perform these overly academic routines may not have engaged in the higher order thinking activities that help them understand why things are the way they are. They don’t have a firm foundation for later success.
• Any concept portrayed in a worksheet can be taught better in a hands-on, meaningful way.

As Marilyn Adams said, “If they can do the worksheet, they don’t need it. If they can’t, it won’t help them.”

Think about jumping on board a plane to set off on holidays. (feels like a dream right now) You want to know your pilot has a deep and vast understanding of the aeroplane and its mechanical functions. You want to know that they know how to problem solve and figure out what to do in the case of an emergency. You want to know that they have received the highest level of training possible. You would be horrified to learn that this flight was their first and that they learned to fly using a worksheet.

Maths is much the same. We shouldn’t expect our children to understand complicated and abstract concepts without access to a firm base in number sense and resources that help them to learn these skills.

So please, throw away those at home worksheets and textbooks and focus on learning with your child and having fun with them!

Number Sense Games

I have placed some links below of fantastic games you can play at home with your child/ren that promote good number sense. These games can be easily levelled up or down, depending on your child’s ability level. Use smaller numbers for beginners and to increase difficulty, add in larger numbers.

100 or Bust -  A simple game with a focus on probability while also providing some mental addition opportunities.

The Product Game - This game has no luck element at all; therefore, it is 100% strategic. Great game to practise multiplication facts in an engaging way.

Part Whole Triangles - A great game to help children understand how numbers consist of different parts.

Closest to 10 - A simple game to practise addition skills.

Addition Golf - A great game to develop mental addition skills.

Number Sentences - A great game that explores the link between addition and subtraction.

Rachel Powell
Curriculum Coordinator
rachel.powell@cg.catholic.edu.au