I get at least two questions from parents every day about math homework. That’s a lot of questions.
Interestingly, many of the questions are similar and none of the questions are about content. Parents don’t want to know how to factor a polynomial.
Instead, parents typically want to know more about why their kids struggle and what they can do to help them do better in math overall. Over time, I started writing down my answers to the questions, so here are a few of them. I hope you find them helpful.
Many parents who bring their kids to my learning center have college and graduate degrees, and therefore one of the most popular questions is about what the research says about math homework.
Recently, research on math homework has made it to the mainstream. Some of the reasons why homework research is gaining popularity is because the findings are scientifically robust (that is, the findings have been supported by many different studies) and they hold up in practice, too.
One of the most important research findings in education is that homework has little to no positive impact on students. This finding usually concerns parents who believe that homework gives their kids an opportunity to practice more math.
Knowing that homework does little to boost student achievement often helps parents put homework struggles into perspective, because it begs an important question, “If studies show that homework is not helpful, then why do kids have homework anyway?”
In my experience, homework can be helpful - if it is limited in scope and matched directly to student needs. Unfortunately, many teachers assign the same homework to all students - regardless of their achievement level or learning style.
So why do kids have homework?
Understanding the different reasons that teachers may assign homework can help you figure out if you even need to set aside time to help your kids. Knowing the different types of homework can also help establish communication with the teacher, as a simple question about the purpose of the homework can put everyone on the same page.
In most cases, math homework is given as a means to independently practice math skills. According to parent's guide published by the U.S. Department of Education, there are four common purposes for homework.
Below, I rank the different types of homework based on how much help is required from parents.
The first and most common purpose is to practice skills. Kids who need practice are those who have already become accurate with a specific skill and makes few to no mistakes. Therefore, practice homework gives students more opportunities for success, and the homework can be very limited.
Like all types of homework, the teacher should know what kind of learning the student would benefit from the most.
For example, let’s say your first grader has learned doubles addition facts within ten like 3 + 3 = 6, 4 + 4 = 8, etc. Practice homework should involve practice with this specific skill. To fight boredom, a teacher could put in a “doubles plus one” problem or two, like 3 + 4 = ? so that a student can extend what they know about doubles facts.
Children who are not yet accurate with a skill and who continue to make mistakes should only be given independent practice homework to practice skills that they’re mostly accurate with - because one of the worst things that could happen during homework time is that your kid practices making mistakes and therefore gets good at getting things incorrect.
When the teacher assigns practice homework, it’s important to supervise children even during what appears to be simple exercises.
The second most common reason that teachers assign homework is to prepare students for upcoming lessons - to give students a head start on some difficult concepts. If there’s an upcoming test on evaluating expressions, then homework can be focused on review.
Keep in mind that preparation homework will require some help, as students may still struggle with some of the concepts. Parents can help students interpret teacher’s intent, and take the pressure off by reminding students that they don’t need to be experts - and they can always go into class with questions. Parents can also email teachers and ask questions “after hours.”
Helping students to apply what they’re learning in school is one of the most interesting and worthwhile types of homework according to students (if planned and designed to be part of what students are learning in school), but it may require quite a bit of supervision and involvement.
Extending skills to new settings might require a parent or guardian to interpret teachers’ directions and intentions, like creating mathematical expressions from situations found in the home (4 people at the table get 2 servings of mashed potatoes each would be the same as saying 4 x 2).
The final reason to give homework would be to integrate a previously taught skill into more challenging work. For instance, students who recently mastered the skill of solving monomial equations (e.g., 4x = 24) could be given homework with binomials (e.g., 6x + 9 = 45).
No matter what the reason for giving homework, the best idea would be to match homework to student needs - which is difficult for teachers responsible for teaching large classes.
No matter which way you look at homework, it always provides parents with an opportunity to link up the home with the school. Synchronizing home and school, or “getting on the same page” is always a win-win.
Even if your kids don’t complete their homework, write them a note. It’s helpful when the teacher understands why they didn’t complete the homework because they might be able to modify the content or their expectations.
Consider the scenario where a teacher assigns practice homework to kids who would benefit from integration or application - parents who tell the teacher that their kids are bored to death might prompt the teacher into assigning a different kind of homework. Perhaps teachers are assigning practice work to students who are not yet accurate with the skill that the teacher is hoping to practice, and in the process students are getting really, really good at making errors.
When learning is a shared endeavor between the home and school, children who don’t complete homework might not have home support for learning.
Students might lack the tools, resources, time, or they may not have helpful people in their lives. Teachers can learn lots from students who don’t complete homework - not just how to make their instruction better but also how to offer support to parents.
If your child doesn’t complete their homework, or if they do, use it as an opportunity to open a conversation with teachers about what might work better. The worst thing to do is regress back to school and try to hide the problem or cover it up by either not responding to missed homework or doing it yourself for your child.
Alright, maybe that doesn’t make sense, but you get it. Right?
When asked where their kids do their homework, most parents say either the kitchen or dining room table. To the credit of most parents I speak with, they often do take steps to reduce the distractions in the homework environment. As I ask more questions, however, it’s usually pretty easy to find at least one unintentional distraction that parents could easily avoid. It’s also important to start building homework habits early.
The most important thing that parents can do for kids who struggle to complete homework, or for kids who get a lot of homework, is to give them access to an environment that supports independent work.
Have you made available plenty of sharpened pencils and pens, markers, colored pencils, erasers, calculators, and scrap paper? Do your kids have access to the internet and to devices that can be used for research? Do they have access to a peer, a sibling, or a parent who can help them understand what is expected of them?
Remember, you can do lots of good for your child simply by attempting to interpret what you believe the teacher expects of them - which is not necessarily helping to solve a specific problem.
When parents bring their kids into my learning center for the first time, I really enjoy watching how they interact because I can usually make recommendations about how to help and how not to help!
I usually start students off with a diagnostic evaluation, so when I’m asking questions to see how they apply strategy (i.e., what’s 99 + 99 + 99?), I can also observe what their parents do to help.
Most parents, after a few seconds of thought, jump in with probably the worst possible thing you could ever say to your kid. It’s the classic thought-killing phrase that immediately makes all kids anxious (and all human beings for that matter).
“Come on - you know this!”
Guess what? They probably don’t know it - because knowing how means having a strategy, even in a pressured situation when strangers are asking them math questions while their parents are watching.
Research presented in one of my favorite books, Brain Literacy for Educators and Psychologists by Virginia Berninger, shows how kids who don’t immediately begin to form a response to a math question begin to feel anxiety after only about 2 seconds. What does anxiety do? It completely shuts down the brain’s working memory - which is the “mental workbench” where information that we’ve stored meets up with the current task at hand. Instead of their thoughts filling up with strategies and ideas to help solve the math problem at hand, their minds fill up with doubt, shame, and questions like, “oh, man - why don’t I know this?”
Your kid is already feeling worried that they don't know the answer, so why raise their stress level by chiming in with "come on, you know this one..."
So don't ever say this phrase again. Just say no.
But telling you what not to do isn’t great advice. I get it...
Instead, try saying nothing. Just bite your lip. If you feel like you have to do something, then support them by making an inquisitive look that says, “this is tough, take your time and think it through” - while they figure out the problem. Expecting fast answers from kid who struggles with math is unrealistic.
If you feel the need to say something, then provide some validation, like “man, I used to hate pop quizzes. Take your time, honey. Let me know if I can help.”
If they ask for your help, take a look at the problem they’re trying to solve and start with something they know. If the problem seems easy, they may just need a minute to get into the mindset to do the math. It can be really validating for kids to learn that you’re just as confused as they are.
When your kids sit down with homework, sit in their view and spend some time silently working on something that you need to do.
One of my earliest research studies looked at whether children can change their behavior if an adult they respected changed theirs. Working in a school, I wanted to investigate a “treatment” for kids who would stare off into space during time that teachers dedicated to silent reading. To do this, I used a famous psychological theory known as Social Learning Theory to set up a simple method that teachers could use to get their kids to read more during silent reading time.
It worked like a charm - when the teacher got in front of kids and simply started to do the thing she expected of them, her students started to read more - and many students started to also talk about their passion for reading - simply because their teacher was a good model for useful behavior.
Remember, you don’t need to be in school to have homework. Break out a good book, pay some bills, or read through the paper about an interesting topic.
If your child starts to struggle a bit, instead of communicating the idea that the work is too hard, try communicating your own curiosity. Find that inner voice that wants to know how to solve a problem - instead of that voice that tells you that you should be solving the problem. Instead of the inner thought, “why don’t I know this?” try instead, “what do I need to know to get started here...”
So, instead of giving in to the same kind of pressure that kills curiosity and shuts down an inquisitive mind, bring your questioning self to the game. Take your time with a problem, draw pictures, use scrap paper - but ultimately be sure to show your child that you’re willing to put in the effort and time to learn about the problem and what you already know that you could bring to the problem.
Even if you feel like you can’t help, try these think-alouds the next time your kid asks you for help: “Hmm. What are the steps involved here?” or “Can you show me or tell me anything that you already know how to do?” If the answer is “nothing, this is too hard,” then perhaps your tendency would be to say, “no it’s not, you can do this,” or just walk away - or perhaps get angry.
When your kid tells you that the work is too hard, they either mean that they’re too mentally tired to try it on their own or they mean that it’s too hard.
In both cases, the best answer to their concern would be an empathetic answer: “well, I sure know what it feels like to have to do work that feels hard, or work that you’d just rather not do at all.” A little empathy goes a long way, and it’s your job as a parent to be a stress reduction tool and be sure your child feels validated.
Suggest a quick break, or bring them some snacks to help boost their energy.
When thinking about the most important things you can do to help, age matters.
Younger students in elementary school benefit most from a distraction-free environment and a routine of using the same time and place for doing homework. They also need lots of praise and encouragement just for getting into the routine - not for getting answers correct. Remember, your job with a young child is future-focused, and sometimes you may sacrifice perfect looking homework for a nice routine.
Middle school students are often mentally bogged down with social, physical, emotional, and academic needs. Your job with a middle school student is much like a code breaker. They could use someone to empathize with them if they just don’t know what their teacher expects of them. Therefore, help them go over the expectations of the assignment, clarify what the teachers expect, and re-read the assignments to ensure that they’re going to be spending their precious and dwindling mental energy in the right places.
With the sheer amount of activities, challenging courses, and the pressures of the SAT and college application - high school students can benefit the most from strategies to help manage their time.
Prior to the school year, set aside time to help your high schooler decide upon a tool they can use to manage their time, such as a physical or online calendar, to-do list, and reminder system. Don’t get upset if they ditch the system you recommended for something simpler - but help them to fight the tendency to write down assignments on their hands.
Don’t feel bad if you have to remind them sometimes - ensure that your reminders are gentle, straightforward, and don’t escalate. You’ve done your job if you remind them once - so don’t get in a tangle, just be aware. Your kids will ultimately appreciate that you’re helping but not helping too much.
Plan your family’s calendar for the week around their schedule - don’t make them feel like they have to sacrifice their family for their homework. Plan your dinner, sports, and homework schedules in advance - and try not to save the homework time for the last thing that’s done. It may be one of the most important activities in their day, so why save it for last?
One of the most important things you can do to get insight into what your kids are struggling with is to listen to them.
Seriously, just listen.
No matter their age, take them at their word, trust the child that you are responsible for raising, and encourage them to put their struggles into words.
When kids can’t find the words, or avoid talking, they aren’t actually avoiding the homework or the talking about the homework - they’re avoiding the feeling like they’ll be rejected or invalidated. So take a minute to listen - it can take a ton of pressure off and is a simple, high-leverage activity that can only help your child grow.
Use the opportunity to communicate these struggles to others, such as a spouse, a tutor, or a teacher. The one thing you don’t want to do is to shut your kids down and communicate that you’re not willing or able to listen to their struggles.
Use every opportunity to find out why your child is struggling and when you find out, talk to their teacher - they are more than happy to assist with anything that ails their students.
If the concerns are too great for the schools to help, seek assistance at supplemental agencies like our learning center - which is designed to help kids strategically complete their homework while filling in gaps that hold them back from deeper math learning.
Here’s a neat link to an article that interviews students about their favorite homework assignments.
Perhaps just as good as listening to your kids is listening to other parents. The National PTA, an organization who partners with Mathnasium, has a bunch of great resources on homework. Perhaps the best resource I’ve seen is their position statement on homework, titled “Quality over Quantity.”
Their website has a search function where you can search for “homework help” and find lots of other amazing resources to help you in your quest to learn more about what works for all kids and especially for your kid!
If all else fails, please come and see me here at my learning center. I’m also happy to come and talk to your organization. Your kids can bring their homework here - to our math coaches, teachers, and instructors. If we might need to do more than coach, I offer no-cost, and no-risk diagnostic evaluations to help figure out exactly where your child may be struggling in math. We’ll work together to design a customized learning plan that works.
Useful Links
Math Tips for Parents and Teachers (Facebook Group)
About the Author
Dr. Scott Methe is the owner of Mathnasium Learning Center in North Manchester, New Hampshire. Please contact Dr. Methe if you would like tutoring, consultation, or if you would like to schedule him to talk at your event. He can be reached at [email protected] or at 603-644-1234.
