The “WRONG” Help Will Confuse Your Child Even More… Know What Is Wrong And Make It Right!
Parents, when you encounter a Maths Paper 2 problem, what immediately comes to mind?
You start to form x-y equations, don’t you? This is the algebraic thinking framework. Then you apply the substitution or quadratic method to solve x and y, right? These are thinking tools. Essentially, you are doing this:
Thinking Framework + Thinking Tool = Solve an unfamiliar problem
Wrong help #1: Incomplete teaching
If any component of the above actions is missed out, you end up confusing your child. Case in point, parents often unwittingly teach their children how to solve algebraic equations (Thinking Tool), but forget to focus on how to form algebraic equations (Thinking Framework).
Wrong help #2: Questions modified
These days, questions similar to past-year questions are often paraphrased. When questions read different to what your child has ever practised, he/she will be unable to tackle the problem.
Wrong help #3: Acceptable but not advocated strategy
Parents need to be aware that the use of equations, while acceptable, is not advocated in the Primary School Maths syllabus.
Wrong help #4: Insufficiently equipped
Yet, if you don’t use the algebraic framework, no other method comes to mind. This is what your child experiences when he/she encounters a challenging Maths problem – his/her mind goes blank. He/she does not have other thinking framework necessary to start solving the question.
Wrong help #5: Inappropriate external assistance
Many parents depend on tuition agencies or private tutors for their children’s Maths performance. However, most tutors were also raised on the same Maths syllabus as us parents – a syllabus without Maths heuristics.
Wrong help #6: Limitations of scenario-based solutions
It is common practice for parents to jump online and seek help for particular Maths problems via forums and social media. And they will receive many responses, with some claiming their method to be the fastest or shortest for solving Maths problems. The trouble with this is:
- the Maths problem posted in the first place is just one type of question (Maths scenario); the solutions offered would be scenario-based, not applicable to the many other Maths scenarios.
- when parents teach their children these solutions – without addressing the fact that the scolutions are applicable only to that particular Maths scenario – their children are not engaged in the Maths problem-solving process.
- the moment the same type of question is paraphrased, or a different type of question is presented, these children won’t be able to apply the particular solution learnt.
Wrong help #7: Ad hoc, random learning
On forums and social media, different parents pose different Maths problems with different Maths scenarios which elicit different scenario-based solutions. The sharing is ad hoc and random, and learning is ineffective.
Wrong help #8: Memorising strategies
Some parents train their children to memorise the different methods for different types of questions. This does more harm than good. Children are not engaged in the Maths problem-solving process. And the moment a particular type of question reads different to what your child has ever practised, he/she will be unable to tackle the problem.
Know what’s wrong – and make it right!
Scenario-based solutions are ineffective for tackling challenging Maths problems. Instead, an effective problem-solving technique is one that is more universal, where the strategy (Thinking Frameworks + Thinking Tools) can be applied across all types of questions (Maths scenarios).
The “Unit Transfer Method” is designed for this very purpose
It is the ONE Key Problem Solving Tool that enables your child to solve 90% of challenging Maths questions over a wide range of topics, within just 5 minutes each!
Click to find out how our “Unit Transfer Method” online program can help your child breakthrough to the next highest grade (or even A*) in Maths! [goo.gl/ggiioS]