Homework help! I am mathematically challenged and I can't help my son with his geometry homework?

Too many students sit and stare at the page, waiting for inspiration to strike — and when the solution doesn’t crack their heads open and step out, fully formed, they complain: “Math is too hard!”So this year I have given my Math Club students a couple of mini-posters to put up on the wall above their desk, or wherever they do their math homework. The first gives four questions to ask yourself as you think through a math problem, and the second is a list of problem-solving strategies. How to Solve a Tough ProblemAsk yourself these 4 questions:1.

What do I know? * List the facts or information given in the problem. * Underline or circle any key words, such as factor, multiple, area, or perimeter.

* Watch out for mixed units! * Express the facts in math symbols, if you can.2. What do I want?

* Describe the goal, what the problem is asking you to find. * Underline or circle any key words, such as sum, product, next, or not. (Small words are easy to miss!) * Express the goal in math symbols, if you can.3.

What can I do? * Combine the given facts. Can you get closer to the goal?

* Try a tool from your Problem Solving Tool Box. * Do one little step at a time.4. Does it make sense?

* When you get an answer, always look back at the original problem one more time. * Does your answer make sense? * Do you have the correct units (inches, cm2, kg, etc.)?

* Can you think of a way to confirm that your answer is right? Problem Solving Tool Box * Draw a diagram or picture. * Act the problem out, step by step.

* Make a systematic list, chart, or table. * Look for a pattern. * Simplify the problem.

(Try it with smaller numbers.) * Restate the problem in another way, or look for a related problem. * Think about “Before” and “After” situations. * Guess and check.

(Try something and see if it works.)Sharing the FunIf you would like to download these handouts for your students, here are the files: * How to solve a tough problem (pdf 63KB) * Problem solving toolbox (pdf 98KB)In case you were wondering, my 4-step method is based rather loosely on the recommendations of George Polya (see the third quote here) in his classic book, How to Solve It. For this and many other excellent books about teaching math, check out the Let’s play math!