By Elaine Sigal
A parent calls me to discuss his child’s grades since the child is not doing well in math and the parent does not know why. I ask if the child has any reading issues or if the child has ever been tested for a reading disability. The parent is quite confused and reiterates that he is calling about his child’s math grade. Am I confused?
No, I am not confused. Parents today do not realize how much a math grade is dependent on reading skills. A large percentage of math questions are not just math problems, but are word problems. A student might be able to do the arithmetic but gets the problem wrong because she misreads the question. Reading is critical to math. If your child is having trouble in math, it could be poor computational skills or it could be that she does not understand the mathematical concepts. It also could be a reading issue.
When was the last time that you had your child read aloud to you? If it has been more than a month, it is too long. Ask children of all ages to read you an article from a magazine, a newspaper or a book. Listen to the reading. Is your child a fluent reader? Does he know what he is reading or is he just reading the words. Does he read in a halting manner? Is he a slow reader? Listen. If you do not love what you hear, run don’t walk to find a professional to have your child’s reading tested.
Elaine received her BA from The College of New Jersey and her MA in English from Villanova University. She is licensed to teach English, Speech and Theater in two states. Elaine founded and ran a classroom based 'brick and mortar' educational company from 1995 - 2009. Elaine has significant experience matching learners to the appropriate educators and has a large available network in the educational arena. Elaine also taught English on the university level, created adult education courses, managed a credit recovery program, managed all areas of supplemental development, and established a 501c3. She has over 35 years of experience in the education field.
STIZZiL.com - is an online educational resource offering individual and group lessons tailored to any student’s needs at his/her convenience and safety, taught by experienced U.S. licensed teachers through state-of-the-art interactive web tools, such as live web video. STIZZiL will match the best teacher to the right student based on an in-depth survey filled out by the student. Teachers undergo a rigorous background inquiry with only the best chosen to join the STIZZiL staff. All sessions are recorded and archived for student review and quality assurance.
A parent calls me to discuss his child’s grades since the child is not doing well in math and the parent does not know why. I ask if the child has any reading issues or if the child has ever been tested for a reading disability. The parent is quite confused and reiterates that he is calling about his child’s math grade. Am I confused?
No, I am not confused. Parents today do not realize how much a math grade is dependent on reading skills. A large percentage of math questions are not just math problems, but are word problems. A student might be able to do the arithmetic but gets the problem wrong because she misreads the question. Reading is critical to math. If your child is having trouble in math, it could be poor computational skills or it could be that she does not understand the mathematical concepts. It also could be a reading issue.
When was the last time that you had your child read aloud to you? If it has been more than a month, it is too long. Ask children of all ages to read you an article from a magazine, a newspaper or a book. Listen to the reading. Is your child a fluent reader? Does he know what he is reading or is he just reading the words. Does he read in a halting manner? Is he a slow reader? Listen. If you do not love what you hear, run don’t walk to find a professional to have your child’s reading tested.
Elaine received her BA from The College of New Jersey and her MA in English from Villanova University. She is licensed to teach English, Speech and Theater in two states. Elaine founded and ran a classroom based 'brick and mortar' educational company from 1995 - 2009. Elaine has significant experience matching learners to the appropriate educators and has a large available network in the educational arena. Elaine also taught English on the university level, created adult education courses, managed a credit recovery program, managed all areas of supplemental development, and established a 501c3. She has over 35 years of experience in the education field.
STIZZiL.com - is an online educational resource offering individual and group lessons tailored to any student’s needs at his/her convenience and safety, taught by experienced U.S. licensed teachers through state-of-the-art interactive web tools, such as live web video. STIZZiL will match the best teacher to the right student based on an in-depth survey filled out by the student. Teachers undergo a rigorous background inquiry with only the best chosen to join the STIZZiL staff. All sessions are recorded and archived for student review and quality assurance.
