Nationwide, parents are concerned about their children’s inability to do well in math and are struggling to find a solution to this growing problem. The No Child Left Behind law, more than anything else, has alerted us to the age-old problem of poor mathematics skills by our students at the elementary school level. Students tend not to like mathematics instruction because they claim it is uninspiring and sometimes difficult. Teachers are often uninspired, using a curriculum that gets attacked and modified every few years with the latest “fad.”

One way to get teachers excited about mathematics is by using a variety of unusual number relationships and focus on increasing the teachers’ enthusiasm for mathematics, which will then motivate them to enhance their knowledge of mathematics. 

This can be done by using a variety of unusual number relationships, arithmetic shortcuts, clever problem-solving strategies, and some unexpected geometric phenomena. For example, many two-digit numbers can be multiplied by 11 mentally, simply by adding the two digits and placing a single-digit sum between them. Case in point: 24 times 11 is obtained by taking the sum of 2+4=6 between the 2 and the 4 to get 264.  Naturally, if the sum is a two-digit number, we must carry the one to the ten’s place. The goal here is not to re-teach arithmetic, just to ignite an interest in the surprised elementary school teacher.

I believe the some of the solution lies within the parents’ ability to get past their own fears and find the “beauty” in mathematics. Positive behavior towards mathematics must begin in the home, and this behavior should be encouraged by the classroom teacher. Teachers should instruct parents to promote a love for mathematics among their children – even if they have less than favorable recollections of their own experiences with the subject. 

When a child comes home with a poor math test score, parents should not accept it as the norm any more than they would a poor grade on an English or science test. Too often, parents condone mediocrity in math because they didn’t fare much better themselves. This essentially undercuts the concept of high expectations, one of the most important factors affecting academic performance. The higher the expectations, the more our students will approach and usually attain higher goals.

Besides becoming familiar with the school mathematics program, parents should become sensitive to the many uses of mathematics in their everyday lives. This awareness should then transfer to the students in an instructive fashion. For example, teachers should encourage parents to involve their children in home “projects” that involve mathematics or reasoning skills. They might include setting up a birthday party, buying flooring or carpeting or calculating expenses (i.e., setting up a budget).  These would be “real world” activities for the particular family. 

To remain competitive in this increasingly more technological world, it is important to continuously motivate our youth to pursue a study of mathematics and the sciences. Patterns and unusual mathematical relationships, which seem to have a mystical universal attraction, can be one way to motivate the uninitiated and must be brought to the attention of our youth – either through the mathematics classroom or in the home. 

Teachers need to do what they do best – promote an excitement for learning, support a confident use of acquired knowledge and encourage growth in mathematics. This enthusiasm needs to go beyond the classroom in order to be most effective.

Dr. Alfred S. Posamentier is dean of the School of Education at The City College of New York, C.U.N.Y. and co-author of Sadlier-Oxford’s series Progress in Mathematics.