Pandemic Learning Losses

It wouln't take a genius to know that the learning conditions surrounding the pandemic would lead to some major learning losses. However, it is only now that researchers have been able to quantify the extent of these losses. This recent New York Times article caught my attention, both as a mom and as owner of the Mathnasium of Boulder: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/01/us/national-test-scores-math-reading-pandemic.html

Two decades of progress erased by the last two years? Wow, that is far worse than we have feared. I think we all have had enough COVID-related trauma for an entire lifetime, so I am including a few simple points of action for you to take to start implementing positive change around math learning in your daily life.

1. Change the narrative: It is time that we put the notion that math is something that you "get" or "don't get" to bed. Math, like every other thing in this world can be learned. Your child can grow a deeper and more meaningful relationship with math. Adopt a growth mindset when thinking about math and use that same way of thinking when talking to others about math.
2. Incorporate mathematical concepts into your everyday conversation. Cook with your children and talk about how common cooking measurements look in real life; have them use money and practice dealing with change; create math games to play in the car; practice number sense skills while out on an evening walk.
3. Make math practice as routine as reading. We are all told to read together for 30 minutes a night, spend some time bonding over math as well.
4. Spend time having positive interactions around mathematical ideas. For example, we are hosting a STEM Sundays Series. See here for the next event: https://www.mathnasium.com/boulder/events/471.
5. Get Help. You don't have to be the expert in the room. Let Mathnasium of Boulder help grow your child's confidence in math so you can take a break from being the after school math learning program and just be parents.

Mathnasium of Boulder is here for you and your family! If you have any questions or need to talk through your current math struggles, please reach out at 303-353-2574 or [email protected]