When I was learning to do long multiplication, I learned the traditional method, or so I thought. The traditional method depends on who's doing the teaching and where you are doing the learning. There are a few ways of doing long multiplication and I only just discovered these methods in the last decade. So if you're struggling to teach a young one how to do long multiplication, it may be time to change up the method. There's Napier's Method, the Box Method and the Russian Method. After all, the only thing that is important is that the student understands the concept, so pick your method wisely.

And if summer is the time to help those young ones learn multiplication, check out the resource section.

In my work 7 or 8 years ago as a math consultant, one of the concerns to be addressed was the gender gap. A deep focus on teaching for understanding prevailed and ensuring that understanding was in place before moving on to algorithms or procedures. However, research now would suggest that it may not be much of a concern anymore. Women are now earning 48 percent of undergraduate college degrees in math. Having said this, they are still under represented in the fields of physics and engineering. Girls have also caught up with boys in math from the 2nd grade to through to the 11th. The news is encouraging! See the full story at AOL Life and Style.

Without a doubt, this headline had me raising my eyebrows! What's the link, DNA and Sudoku? Before clicking through, I had a few guesses but when the logical part of my brain clicked in, I had difficulty linking the two. So what's the link between DNA and Sudoku? Well, apparently it's a 2000 year old theorem, long before the days and knowledge of DNA. Be sure to read the full article.

However, if it's Sudoku you want, try the puzzles here or for a greater selection check out the puzzles from our guide at Puzzles.

If you're practicing a bit of algebra over the summer holidays, stay tuned! I too am focusing on adding a few more algebra worksheets to help you improve your algebra marks. This week, you'll find systems of equations using the elimination method, complete with answers on the 2nd page of the pdf. But, don't stop there, be sure to check out all of the algebra practice worksheets with answers.

Divisibility really just means 'can you divide a number by another. ' Throughout your math career, divisibilty makes its appearance over and over again. There's a great online tool that tells you the divisibility of a number and saves you the computational work. Check it out ,an online calculator that does all the work for you. Sure beats the old fashioned method. However, they too are worth knowing, and there are a number of strategies that help with divisibility, here are a few tried and true but if you have more, be sure to post them!

The author of this book sure thinks you can! Although I'm a big advocate of early numeracy, teaching babies math may be a bit of a stretch, or let's just say that I'm a skeptic. Then again, if you're interested, be sure to check out the book.

As for some great strategies for your pre-schooler, give these tips a try, or if your child is kindergarten age, help prep them with some of the concepts listed here.

Upon beginning our summer holidays, we're just so full of goals and things we want to accomplish. If improving your understanding of Algebra happens to be one of your goals, these self-directed teaching books are for you, well maybe! Of course, individuals who learn on their own tend to be quick learners who can learn by seeing examples of questions with step by step answers. If this isn't your learning style, I would highly recommend going the tutor route instead.

Wondering if you can make sense of examples? Try this one first on Quadratic Functions.

I've been somewhat of an advocate of video games in schools, however, I've encountered many nay-sayers along the way and they certainly have their valid points. But, when research provides evidence of positive impact, one really can't look the other way now can they? Here's a new report from Generation Yes

The research report comes from a consortium of 31 ministries of education in Europe. The study was sponsored by the Interactive Software Federation of Europe. Worth the read!

One of the questions I often get at this time of year is whether or not a student should secure a math tutor over the summer. Good question! Most importantly, what type of tutor? A one to one? An email tutor? A Phone tutor? These questions all need an answer. For the most part, a tutor and tutee need to have a good relationship, afterall, the entire purpose of a tutor is to help the student to achieve better math scores which really means to develop a better math understanding. And.....most importantly of all, is what kind of learner is the student? Does the student need direct intervention? Does the student just needs some clarification and practice? Does the student need to go right back to the basics? So, my advice to all those looking to secure a tutor in math is "Do your homework first, know exactly what you need". Once you know, be sure to check our A Math Tutor for the Summer Holidays?">tutor listings.

For those teachers who haven't yet started their summer holidays, here are some great menu math word problems to help kids with some real life authentic questions. After all, many of them will travel this summer and why not prep them with some math menu fun! These 10 free math menu worksheets are in PDF for quick access and enhanced printing. Suitable for grades 3 to 5 depending on skill level.

See also: Kids Sukoku Worksheets