Old Dogs, New Math: Homework Help for Puzzled Parents

“Perfect for parents who want to understand the different methods to do arithmetic their children are learning―and why they are being taught that way.”
―Keith Devlin, award-winning Stanford University mathematician

“Can you help me with my math homework?” If this question fills you with fear (or even panic), then Old Dogs, New Math is here to help!

Gone are the days when elementary school students simply memorized their times tables and struggled through long division. Today, students are expected not just to find the right answer, but also to use the best method―and to explain why it works.

If your attempts to help your child are met with “That’s not how the teacher does it,” then it’s time to take the stress out of math homework. Old Dogs, New Math demystifies Common Core math for parents, including:

• Number lines, place value and negative numbers
• Long multiplication and division
• Fractions, percentages and decimals
• Shapes, symmetry and angles
• Data analysis, probability and chance

Complete with sample questions, examples of children’s errors, and over 25 games and activities, Old Dogs, New Math will not only help you and your child subtract on a number line or multiply on a grid―but also help you discover math all around you, and have fun doing it!

90 B&W figures

Rob Eastaway has authored and coauthored several bestselling books that connect math with everyday life, including Why Do Buses Come in Threes? and How Many Socks Make a Pair? He is the director of Maths Inspiration, an interactive lecture program that has reached over 250,000 teenagers in the United Kingdom, New York, and Sydney. In 2017, he received the Zeeman Medal for excellence in the public communication of mathematics, and in 2025, he delivered the BSHM Gresham College Lecture on the subject of Shakespeare and mathematics. He lives in London.