Family Math Engagement Events at the Winter Hill Community Innovation School
Teaching Math with a Focus on Engagement
The Winter Hill is focusing on meaningful family engagement that strengthens the connections families have to student learning in the classroom. Recent Family Math Engagement Events were a perfect example of how to deepen the family-home relationship and to support learning. Teachers presented lessons about the current math curriculum and family members left understanding teaching methods and concrete ways to support students outside the classroom.
Math Games in Second Grade
Second Grade Teachers invited parents and guardians to a Family Math Breakfast. Parents learned math from the teachers and learned ways to support their students outside the classroom. Math teaching methods have changed since most parents and guardians were in school. Parents learned how to use a number line to add and subtract. Parents then practiced some problems using this model. Teachers and students then taught parents math games they could play at home to work on addition and subtraction.
Becoming the Teacher in 5th grade
Ms. Weaver invited 5th grade parents and guardians into her English Language Learners' classroom to learn more about the math curriculum. This time, the students taught the material. Students taught their family members the algorithms for multiplication and division.
Benefits for the student
When teachers hold classroom-based events, they can expect strong attendance. These events are an authentic way to engage and welcome families and to empower them with curriculum knowledge to support their children. Students build confidence and reinforce math concepts by teaching their parents and other family members math and math games. Family classroom engagement underscores the relationship between school and home while also strengthening a student’s understanding of classroom material.
R. Ronen, Communications Specialist