Does Method Matter
When I was teaching, a common complaint from parents was that they didn’t understand the new methods that were taught. To be honest, at first, neither did I! As I got to grips with them, I wondered why I had never been taught them in the past. Some helped me understand what was actually happening with the maths and others helped with many topics.
Over time, the curriculum has changed and we are back to schools teaching one method. My opinion is that this is not the right way forward for every child. However, this is the right way for the classroom! Teaching different methods takes up time that schools don’t have, and can cause confusion when pupils go from one teacher to the next.
You shouldn’t worry if your child clicks with a method that isn’t the one taught in school. It is more important that they have an understanding of the maths. Encourage your child to try some different methods and see which suits them the best. Some are more visual, some are easier to grasp, others are tricks to get to the right answer.
I will be sharing some of my favourite methods, and demonstrating how this can make a difference to their understanding, giving you an opportunity to see these methods for yourself and try them out. If you have a topic you’d like to see done differently add it to the comments.