HELP YOUR STUDENT
All Students Can Be Successful
Encouraging Your Learner's Success
To be successful in learning math, students need to develop the following learning habits.
- Actively contributing to work and discussions with their class or study team
- Completing (or at least attempting) all assigned problems and turning in assignments in a timely manner
- Checking and correcting problems on assignments (usually with their study partner or study team) based on answers and solutions provided in class and online
- Asking for help when needed
- Attempting to provide help when asked by other students
- Taking notes and using their Toolkit when recommended by the teacher or the text
- Keeping a well-organized notebook
Learning with Study Teams
During class, your student will often be working in a small group called a study team. Study teams are designed to encourage students to engage in mathematical conversations. Collaboration allows students to develop new ways of thinking about mathematics, practice communicating with others about math, and strengthen their understanding of concepts and ideas as they explain their thinking to others. Each student in a study team has an assigned role with a clear set of expectations, which are listed in the student text.
Videos of Effective Teams
Introduction Video (Vimeo)
Guidelines Video (Vimeo)
Interactions Video (Vimeo)
Helping Your Student by Asking Questions
Below are lists of additional questions to use when working with your student. These questions do not refer to any particular concept or topic. Some questions may or may not be appropriate for some problems. Click on each topic to view the questions.
Questions to use when working with your student.
- What have you been doing in class or during this chapter that might be related to this problem?
- Have you checked the online homework help?
- What have you tried? What steps did you take?
- What did not work? Why did it not work?
- Which words are most important? Why? What does this word/phrase tell you?
- What do you know about this part of the problem?
- Explain what you know right now.
- What is unknown? What do you need to know to solve the problem?
- How did the members of your study team explain this problem in class?
- What important examples or ideas were highlighted by your teacher?
- How did you organize your information? Do you have a record of your work?
- Can you draw a diagram or sketch to help you?
- Have you tried making a list, looking for a pattern, etc.?
- What is your estimate/prediction?
- Is there a simpler, similar problem we can do first?
Questions to use when your student has made a start at a problem.
- What do you think comes next? Why?
- What is still left to be done?
- Is that the only possible answer?
- Is that answer reasonable? Are the units correct?
- How could you check your work and your answer?
Questions to use when you and your students feel stuck.
- Let’s look at your notebook, class notes, and Toolkit. Do you have them?
- Were you listening to your team members and teacher in class? What did they say?
- Did you use the class time working on the assignment? Show me what you did.
- Were the other members of your team having difficulty with this as well? Can you call your study partner or someone from your study team?
This is certainly not a complete list; you will probably come up with some of your own questions as you work through the problems with your student. Ask any question at all, even if it seems too simple to you.
Tips for Assisting a CPM Student
We believe all students can be successful in mathematics as long as they are willing to work and ask for help when they need it. We encourage you to contact your student’s teacher if your student has additional questions that this guide or other resources do not answer.
