Real Solutions for Parents & Homeschooling
Gain the confidence to teach maths and give your child the support they need
Learning maths is like learning a language
If you were a child being introduced to a language for the very first time (you had no prior knowledge), which of the following would be most helpful for you to understand?
The word 'cat'
OR
An actual cat
When you learned the word "cat", your mum or dad took you over to pat the neighbour's cat and said "cat". You touched the cat, stroked its soft fur and felt what a cat is. Then you saw pictures, books and videos and heard stories of cats. So you spoke "c-a-t". Then finally, after learning how to hold pencil, you learned to write "cat" much later in the process.
Eventually your brain learned to link C-A-T with the multi sensory experience of seeing, feeling, hearing and saying it first. Had you just been thrown the letters C, A and T on a page without context or visual cues you would have absolutely no idea what to do with that.
The same approach needs to be used for teaching the language of maths.
If you were a child being introduced to maths for the very first time (you had no prior knowledge), which of the following would be most helpful for you to understand?
Maths symbols on a page
OR
Purpose-built blocks you can feel, see and interact with
Side note: books with "1 ball", "2 elephants", "3 flowers"... etc fail to help children understand numerical relativity (the difference between numbers), so specific manipulative (hands-on) tools are far more effective.
Many children struggle to understand maths because important concepts are either taught improperly or brushed over too quickly for them to fully comprehend why and how it works.
Maths Australia recommends and provides homeschool maths curriculums that are tailored to maths mastery. This helps students build the skills and confidence to achieve better results with maths.
"If a child can't learn the way we teach,
we should teach the way they learn"
Ignacio Estrada
Maths Australia supports home educating parents
No prior teaching experience required
You don't need to be a trained teacher to use our recommended programs. Every level comes with video lessons, student and teacher workbooks and solutions, so you can be confident to deliver the program accurately. We also offer training for those who want to extend their understanding of the Maths Australia approach to really solidify how you teach your child.
Based on mastery, not speed
If your child is either struggling to keep up or zooming ahead of a school curriculum, our programs are the perfect option for you. We don't base lessons on keeping up... we base them on your child mastering a topic area and then moving on to the next. As a result, children develop a deeper, more satisfying & concrete understanding of maths that sets them up for life.
Designed to be hands-on
Our programs are multi-sensory, meaning your kids will learn maths using real objects, rather than just learning from a book and trying to conceptualise the squiggles on the page. Our manipulatives (hands-on tools) are adaptable to suit all learning styles and knowledge levels, and have been proven by thousands of Australian parents and home schoolers to be incredibly effective.
Cumulative reviews built-in
We encourage built-in mechanisms to ensure that you know (and your child knows) where they're up to at any point. Maths is a sequential subject. Each concept builds on each other (you can't learn multiplication if you don't know addition and subtraction first). Reviews at the end of each lesson ensures your child has fully understood the concept that has been taught before moving on.
Based on ability level, not grade
Our free online placement tests allow you to fully understand which level is appropriate for your child despite their expected school grade. By teaching based on what they do and don't know, you can instead fill the gaps or accelerate them at the appropriate pace as they learn. This is critical: to meet them where they're 'at' and effectively progress them so they know they've 'got it'.
Foundational through to University level
Students can start with a fun introduction to maths and progress all the way through to an advanced Calculus level. Each concept sequentially builds on the previous. As a parent teaching these concepts, each level comes with a teacher and student booklet, as well as video explainers for every lesson, so you're never left feeling out of your depth or unsure of what to teach.
Aligned with the Australian Curriculum
According to research and evidence-based methodology, learning occurs best when children master each concept before moving on to the next. Maths Australia therefore encourages programs that align to ACARA guidelines in a modified sequence based on mastery of each maths topic (rather than on a grade level basis). Talk to us for more information.
Complete research-backed program
Maths Australia only recommends programs that actually work, are engaging and proven by research to support children learning exactly the way they learn best. From all our research and practice across 22+ years, the Math-U-See program aligns best with researcher's “Best Practice” Recommendations. You can read the research here.
What other parents say...
Our children have grown up studying maths with Math-U-See. We have really enjoyed it, and the children have learned so much more using this method – than any other maths program. Thank you.
I have been using Math-U-See with my oldest son. It has worked really well for him - I love how it makes maths so easy to teach. I’ll be starting my daughter on it next year too. I know how much she would benefit from this teaching method. I would definitely recommend it to others.
My son was in grade 4 when we first started. He had been in the lowest maths stream at school for years. His school reports showed declining maths performance. This was of great concern as he is challenged by reading and writing due to dyslexia and has Development Coordination Disorder.
It was a structured approach with actual lessons. I had heard that other families in the dyslexia community had used the program with success.
My son is now in grade 5 and in the enriched maths class at school. His confidence grew after just completing the first book which was multiplication. His experience of success is now producing more success. It has changed my sons trajectory.
Anyone who is able to put time into helping their child progress. The program structure factors in working memory issues so it is ideal for children with a SLD.
Your next steps
Need to know what materials you'll need for your child?
Already know what program level/s you need?
If you need to keep track of multiple students' results when taking the Placement Test, here's an easy spreadsheet to help out (this can be used for up to 10 students). You can download it here.
Quick guide: Program levels
For a more in-depth look at every level and for demonstration videos on every level, visit our levels page.
THE FOUNDATIONAL LEVELS
( Pre-school to Grade 8 and Intervention )
Our 7 foundational levels focus around multi-sensory maths using manipulatives (hands-on tools) and our 4-step methodology:
SEE IT
FEEL IT
WRITE IT
SAY IT
Students progress through each level sequentially (left to right above) to build on the foundational principles learnt in the previous levels. For some kids, a particular level will be easy and they'll breeze through. For other kids, that same level may take a little longer. That's what's so great about a mastery-based approach... The layout of the program caters to any child at any learning speed.
Simply take your time on the levels you're struggling with, and breeze on through if you're mastering it quickly. Each level comes with lessons and materials to make sure 'mastery' of that level has been achieved before you move on to the next.
THE ADVANCED LEVELS
( Grade 8 to University Level )
As students progress to more advanced topics, the mastery of the early material forms an incredibly strong backbone of knowledge as we move into more abstract concepts. Each level continues to sequentially build on previous mastery, all the way through to our final university-grade Calculus material.
What manipulatives do you need for each level?
Header | CRA MATHS MULTI-SENSORY INTEGER BLOCK KIT | CRA MATHS MULTI-SENSORY ADVANCED KIT |
---|---|---|
PRIMER | Cell | |
ALPHA | Cell | |
BETA | Cell | |
GAMMA | Cell | |
DELTA | Cell | |
EPSILON | Cell | |
ZETA | Cell | |
PRE-ALGEBRA | Cell | |
ALGEBRA 1 | Cell | |
GEOMETRY | Cell | Cell |
ALGEBRA 2 | Cell | Cell |
PRE-CALCULUS | Cell | Cell |
CALCULUS | Cell | Cell |
Because our manipulatives can be used for multiple levels, you do NOT need to purchase them every year.
Simply go to the level of choice and only add the products you need to the cart.