Every act of life involves mathematics. Our cosmos is not a meaningless phenomenon: it is a mathematical wonder! So how come, for most children, mathematics has become a meaningless and unpleasant chore? Why do parents and teachers find it such a struggle to engage children and make them understand topic?
This article provides 5 important points that will greatly influence your child’s performance in Math. Once you, as parent, fully understand and experience a paradigm shift in your perception of Math yourself, you can be sure your child will follow suit!
Translate Math into a form your child can understand
For knowledge to be meaningful and useful, it is not enough to merely memorize it, it must be actively constructed. This means that your child must be encouraged to build this knowledge within himself. This can be done by getting your child to carry out certain mathematical activities and then, to reflect on those activities. And the highest learning potential are those that are developed based on your child’s existing math knowledge and not strictly according to the school syllabus. Draw upon your child’s natural curiosity and desire to learn instead of forcing certain topics on them. In the long run, their learning and retention will be more effective.
All children are born gifted.
This statement is totally true, though most adults find it hard to believe. All children are born with a sense of natural curiosity. Unfortunately, this wonderful quality is snatched away by the “real world” as they grow up. As parents, it is extremely important for us to nurture and nourish their spirit so that they develop self-confidence and have the courage to challenge the status quo, ask insightful questions and most of all, reflect upon the outcome of events. To do this, constantly encourage your child to recognize opportunities as they come, have confidence, develop convictions and have their life philosophy.
Math is a way of thinking, NOT a collection of rules.
Mathematics involves using thinking skills to understand ideas, discover relationships among the ideas, draw or support conclusions about the ideas and relationships and eventually, solve problems involving the ideas. It involves forming generalizations and drawing valid conclusions about ideas and how they are related. Once your child understands that Math is more than addition, subtraction, multiplications, and divisions, and begins to understand how it can apply in his daily life instead of just within the confines of his classroom, he will start to develop a genuine love for the subject.
No memorizing, but understanding
Math has traditionally made learners into dependent rule-followers because of its focus on memorizing facts, rules, formulas and procedures. This traditional approach has failed to cultivate an understanding of school mathematics. To cultivate true mathematical thinking, the most important thing is not the number of questions answered but the quality of though invested in understanding them and in reviewing the effort. This shift in your approach as a parent will go a long way towards influencing your child towards mathematical mastery.
Math: School subject versus leisure activity
Studies show that most people’s perceptions of Math are formed by their own experience of learning the subject in school. Even Math teachers perceive Math as a collection of established knowledge, procedures and calculations. The idea that Math has anything to do with pleasure or leisure is nearly non-existent. If you, as the parent, hold on to this belief, your child's Math performance will be greatly affected. If you maintain, discover or rediscover enthusiasm and personal pleasure for mathematical activity for yourself, you are more likely to inspire the same in your child!
An article from E.NOPI WORLD, The official News Letter of Daekyo Philippines Inc., December 2006 Issue
http://www.enopi.com/customer/FindaCenter.aspx