Supporting kids with maths homework is a common afterschool activity. But beyond the basics, new curricula and teaching strategies are making it harder for parents to help and itโs taking a serious toll on childrenโs confidence and learning.
In a study from the University of South Australia, it was found that mathematics homework can sometimes cause more harm than good. Exploring how homework policies and practices affect families, researchers found that mathematics homework could inadvertently affect a child when it often:
โข was too difficult for a child to complete independently, and/or with the support of a parent.
โข required significant support from parents and seeped into family time.
โข resulted in a negative experience for the child and their parent, leading to negative associations with mathematics and potentially studentsโ disengagement from the subject.
โข generated feelings of despair, stress, and negativity among parents who were unable to help.
โข made students feel inadequate when they struggled with the work.
Such negativity around mathematics has broad implications. Homework has long been accepted as a practice that reinforces childrenโs learning and improves academic success, but when it is too complex for a student to complete even with parent support, it raises the question as to why it was set as a homework task in the first place.
We know that parents play a key role in supporting their children with schooling and homework. When children need help, their parents are often the first people they turn to, but many parents are unsure of the current mathematics strategies and approaches that their children are learning as these have changed a lot since they were at school. Like many things, mathematics teaching has evolved over time. But when parents realise that their tried-and-true methods are different to those which their children are learning, it can be hard to adapt, and this can add undue pressure. When children see their parents struggle with mathematics homework, or where mathematics homework becomes a shared site of frustration for families it can lead to negativity across generations.
For example, we might hear adults saying things like โI wasnโt very good at maths, so my child wonโt be eitherโ. Negative interactions with mathematics, and negative discourses like these can lead to reduced confidence, reduced self-efficacy, and can negatively affect childrenโs resilience, persistence, and ultimately their inclination to continue with mathematics.
Any decline in STEM subjects such as maths can have long-term impacts for Australiaโs future. Statistics show that less than 10% of students are studying a higher level of maths, with maths capabilities declining more than 25 points (15-year-olds in 2022 scored at a level that would have been expected of 14-year-olds, 20 years earlier).
Other research also identified gendered biases.
The research showed that it was overwhelmingly mothers who were responsible for managing childrenโs homework. And they often experience frustration or despair when they were unable to understand the maths problems. When mothers find maths hard, there is concern that this may demonstrate to their children, especially their girls, that this is not an area in which they would naturally excel.
The last thing teachers want to do is disadvantage girls in developing potentially strong mathematical identities. We need a greater understanding of homework policies and expectations.
The experiences of the families in the study do not support the often-quoted claim by researchers that homework has potential non-academic benefits such as fostering independence, creating positive character traits, developing good organisational skills, or virtues such as self-discipline and responsibility.
Lisa OโKeeffe is a UniSA researcher and Associate Professor.
If youโre concerned about your childโs maths skills, it might help to know that sometimes children need to practise the same maths concept many times and in different ways before it starts to make sense. This can take time, but difficulties with maths can affect your childโs motivation and confidence and stop them from enjoying maths activities with their peers.
So if you notice that your child is becoming frustrated or is consistently making the same mistakes, itโs a good idea to talk with your childโs teacher. The teacher can tell you more about your childโs maths skills in class and let you know whether their learning is on track.
Your childโs teacher might suggest ways to support your childโs maths learning. For example, you and the teacher might talk about some of these points listed below:
- activities and resources that you can try with your child at home.
- classroom changes to suit your childโs learning needs โ for example, seating your child closer to the front of the room.
- professional support โ for example, an educational psychologist can assess whether your childโs maths skills are typical for their stage of development.
- additional school support โ for example, time with a classroom support worker.
- an individual learning plan for your child.
You can ask your childโs teacher for records of your childโs progress in class and a copy of the maths topics to be covered for the term.
You might also be able to sit in class to watch how your child learns at school. All of this can help you keep track of your childโs maths learning.
Your feelings about maths influence how your child thinks about maths. Even if youโve grown up thinking that youโre not very good at maths, you can show your child that you appreciate how maths helps you to do things that you enjoy โ for example, cooking, sports or card games. This can help your child develop a positive attitude towards maths and feel more confident about maths.
Source: raisingchildren.net.au