Council of Ontario Directors of Education (CODE) Resources - Math Resources for Parental Engagement
Literacy and Numeracy Community Programs
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, the Independent Learning Centre and the Ontario Ministry of Education are pleased to continue to provide Homework Help in Mathematics, a free on-line math resource for students in Grades 7 to 10. The resource focuses on improving student achievement in mathematics using an interactive on-line website where Ontario-certified teachers provide real-time math homework support to students Sunday through Thursday from 5:30pm to 9:30pm.
Math Facts
Homework Help for Students Grade 7 to 10
Homework Help is a free online math help resource for students in Grades 7-10. Homework Help provides free, live one-on-one tutoring from Ontario teachers Sunday to Thursday from 5:30pm - 9:30pm ET. The program is funded by the Ontario government and administered by TVO's Independent Learning Centre. To log in, students will need to register with their Ontario Education Number (OEN), found at the top of their report card near their name.(Your child's OEN never changes so any of their Ontario report cards will have it.)
Note: Homework Help is offered in English and is only available to students at publicly funded schools.
Partnering with Your Teen in Mathematics (PDF)
Partnering with Your Teen in Mathematics Grade 7-12 is a resource for parents, guardians, caregivers and other family members to support the development of their teen's mathematical abilities. The document addresses key aspects of understanding of the adolescent learner, different ways of learning, engaging in conversations with your teen, and supporting mathematical thinking, learning and work habits.
Teens have many experiences that may impact their attitude and confidence in their mathematical ability. You can help your teen celebrate each success and deal with any challenges. You do not have to do the mathematics your teen brings home. What matters most is your attitude about the work they are doing. Attitudes about mathematics and confidence in abilities in mathematics can have a great influence on success at school.
This resource is intended to help you support your teen with learning mathematics in grades 7 to 12. It is guided by the belief that all students can be successful in mathematics and all parents can be successful in supporting their teens in learning mathematics.
Math Facts
Art and math have a lot in common with each other. In fact you can see the math in art and the art in math! Patterns, shapes, geometry, symmetry, spatial reasoning, proportional reasoning, etc... are all a part of the arts (visual art, music and dance), as they are of mathematics.
By blending mathematics and the arts, students learn in ways that are intellectual, emotional and physical. Children learn in many different ways, and research tells us that participating in the arts is one way that is very engaging for all of us.
Consider visiting the Art Gallery or doing crafts with your child over the March break. A child stringing beads in a pattern on a string or creating a patterned bracelet is creating an understanding of patterning, although to them it may look simply like a pleasing design.
When a child learns to play the piano, they are developing mathematical understanding of the relationships between scales, notes and chords. Symmetry can be seen in the symmetrical features of a butterfly or in a design when building. Children may notice patterns in wallpaper, tile tessellations on the floor or on a phone cover, rhythmic beats or repeated choreography in music videos or chords in a popular song. There is math everywhere!
Wrong Answers, Great Learning
Thomas Edison said that he did not fail at making the light bulb one thousand times, but rather that "the light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps."
"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot... and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. That is why I succeed." (Michael Jordan)
Making mistakes is a natural part of all learning. Those who we consider to be "great" are clear that mistakes lead to learning.
The latest research on mathematics shows that mistakes are a very important part of learning math! When a person makes an error in math and they have the opportunity to learn from it, they actually develop a much stronger understanding. In fact, the research states that students learn more from making mistakes than from getting all the right answers. When your child makes an error, it offers insight into what understanding your child has about a mathematical idea. It allows parents and teachers to talk to the child about what they know, and ask questions to stretch their thinking around where they are currently developing their understanding. Parents can ask "How do you know that? What was your thinking here? Is there another way you could solve that? How did you think about X (an element they may be missing or have misunderstood)?"
This conversation helps to develop the crucial skills of reasoning and communication and is therefore more helpful than simply showing a child how the math is done. When you support an attitude that values learning from mistakes, you are telling your child that mistakes are a valuable and natural ingredient in learning and lead to deeper understanding. Research shows that this attitude supports stronger achievement!
Math and Picture Books
Reading to your child is both a wonderful way to spend time together and also an effective way to engage your child in conversation. Students of all ages love stories and love to talk about stories. "Literature provides students with opportunities to make connections with their own lives, provides a context to think and practice mathematics, and enriches students' view of the world of mathematics." A Guide to Effective Instruction in Mathematics, Kindergarten to Grade 6.
Listed below are a few titles to begin the conversation about mathematics at home. These picture books are connected to several math strands of the Ontario mathematics curriculum from your child's report card:
- Caps for Sale, by Esphyr Slobodkina (Number Sense and Patterning)
- The Doorbell Rang, by Pat Hutchins (Number Sense)
- Count to 10 with a Mouse, by Margaret Wise Brown (Number Sense)
- Is a Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There IS? by Robert Wells (Number Sense and Measurement)
- Actual Size, by Steve Jenkins ( Measurement)
- One Grain of Rice, by Demi (Number Sense and Multiplication and Division)
- Grandfather Tang's Story, by Ann Tompert (Geometry)
- Stone Soup, by Heather Forest (Data Management and Probability)
If you and your child are more comfortable in a language other than English, then read to your child in that language.
Your local public library may be helpful in choosing books connected to mathematics. The link below may also be helpful to access digital books online in a number of languages:
International Digital Library: Children's Library.org
Doing Mathematics with Your Child (Kindergarten to Grade 6)
Today, critical thinking, problem solving, reasoning ability and ability to communicate mathematically are essential skills. These processes are the foundation of mathematics instruction in Ontario schools. "Doing Mathematics with your Child" is a guide available for parents of students in Kindergarten to Grade 6. This guide offers ways to engage their child in thinking and talking about mathematics around the four strands: number sense and numeration, measurement, patterning and algebra, and data management and probability. The guide is available in English and 13 other languages.
Wrong Answers, Great Learning
Thomas Edison said that he did not fail at making the light bulb one thousand times, but rather that "the light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps."
"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot... and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. That is why I succeed." (Michael Jordan)
Making mistakes is a natural part of all learning. Those who we consider to be "great" are clear that mistakes lead to learning. The latest research on mathematics shows that mistakes are a very important part of learning math! When a person makes an error in math and they have the opportunity to learn from it, they actually develop a much stronger understanding. In fact, the research states that students learn more from making mistakes than from getting all the right answers.
When your child makes an error, it offers insight into what understanding your child has about a mathematical idea. It allows parents and teachers to talk to the child about what they know, and ask questions to stretch their thinking around where they are currently developing their understanding.
Parents can ask "How do you know that? What was your thinking here? Is there another way you could solve that? How did you think about X (an element they may be missing or have misunderstood)?" This conversation helps to develop the crucial skills of reasoning and communication and is therefore more helpful than simply showing a child how the math is done. When you support an attitude that values learning from mistakes, you are telling your child that mistakes are a valuable and natural ingredient in learning and lead to deeper understanding. Research shows that this attitude supports stronger achievement!
The Ontario Mathematics Curriculum: Number Facts
The curriculum has been designed to foster not only skill with operations such as adding, subtracting, multiplying, and piding, but understanding. For example, when students are learning the skill of multiplication, they learn that 3 × 5 represents three groups of five and the fact that multiplication is repeated addition, e.g., 3 × 5 = 5 + 5 + 5. They also learn how multiplication and division are connected and will come to understand, for instance, that "If I know that 3 × 5 = 15, then I also know that 5 × 3 = 15, and that 15 divided by 3 = 5, and finally that 15 divided by 5 = 3. When students see multiplication only as strings of facts, they do not understand these connections which are important for them when they go on to study more advanced mathematics topics such as algebra and proportional reasoning. The Ontario Curriculum: Mathematics, Grades 1-8 (2005) is available on the Ministry of Education website.
Homework Help Club
The Ontario Association for Mathematics Education has an interesting website with plenty of resources that parents might find interesting. Take a few minutes to explore what OAME has to offer.
FSL Homework Toolbox/ Trousse pour devoirs
This is an FSL resource for parents and students in Ontario created by the Rainbow District School Board in partnership with the Ministry of Education. This resource includes a number of supports including:
- audio files in English and French
- video clips demonstrating instructional strategies
- reference guide for specific topics
- list of French language learning websites
- general tips for learning French
Voilà Learning Homework Help - Online Homework Help in French
This is an online homework help support in French K-12 created in conjunction with the Ministry of Education. Ontario certified teachers are available to provide online support from 4-8 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for OCDSB students.
Parents/Guardians/Students access the support by calling the toll-free number: 1 (866) 900 0658.
The OCDSB has purchased a license to pilot the use of the online homework help program for the remainder of the school year.
Ontario Association for Mathematics Education - Mathies
This is a ministry website created in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Ontario Mathematics educators. This is a free and excellent support for support numeracy across grades (they are research based to build competencies). You will see tasks developed by Dr. Marian Small, Dr. Cathy Bruce, Dr. Ruth Beatty, and others.
Parental Support Document for Mathematics (Created by the Ministry of Education)
Paying Attention To Proportional Reasoning
Learn about mathematics tasks that involve proportional reasoning.