Welcome Back to School!
Math ability is not genetically influenced. Exposure and practice lead to proficient math students. All students are capable of understanding and applying math concepts. Learning styles, background knowledge and relevant activities must be aligned to build confidence, motivation and success.
https://eab.com/insights/daily-briefing/academic-affairs/theres-no-such-thing-as-a-math-person/
As much as possible, I use the Universal Design for Learning style, and standards-based grading to drive assessments while preparing them to perform well on standardized tests.
UDL allows students to show skill mastery through many different and creative methods. Ultimately we want students to understand math concepts and accurately apply them. The end goal is for students to independently show mastery of a concept.
In order for the UDL to work the educator will use an objective or standard to measure student's work against. THen students are provided a rubric which explains the content that must covered in the project. Students may use any medium they choose to prove mastery of the skills on the rubric. Interactive video, live instruction, manipulatives, real-world scenarios, on-line practice and other methods could all be used to convey and assess math proficiency.
There is a substantial collection of research supporting the idea that early math literacy should begin at home. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics developed tools to help teachers talk about math THe video below on Notice and Wonder explains the concept. Parents and educators of children at any age should talk about math in various contexts from discussing shapes and size to calculating simple interest rates to the U.S. Electoral College distribution system.
For educators and parents, the video below explains how a Math Talk works in a classroom setting.
Everyone makes mistakes learning math. The best part is when you are able to find your mistakes. That is when you truly understand a concept. Research shows your brain grows when you make mistakes and grows even more when you correct the mistake on your own.
A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new. - Albert Einstein
Students are required to retake assessments until mastery is achieved. Math is sequential and builds upon skills learned previously. Unsuccessful assessments are indicators that students need additional time or alternative means for learning a skill. At the 5th and 6th grade school level, there are many strategies for retakes; test corrections, average scores, peer systems.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/allowing-test-retakes-without-getting-gamed
One of the most important skills that helps math students is the ability to THINK, TRY, and DISCUSS various solutions. Unstructured recess is the best training ground for developing these skills. So, yes, kids must have recess.
The goal for my math students is to understand and apply math and understand math processes as fluently and automatically as reading street signs. However, memorizing math facts along the way makes the process easier. Faster is not necessary.
Prime numbers to 100, multiplication and division facts to 16, square and cube roots to 16, percentages, decimals and fractions, Metric and Customary measurement conversions, and common geometric facts and formulas are the facts I would recommend memorizing up to 7th grade.