Why treat math as monster when it can be your friend
Does math haunt your child like a monster and keep you and them awake at night? Math phobia is a genuine concern amongst kids that soon transforms into an aversion towards the subject.
This has been proved with data. Nearly 82 per cent of students between grade 7 -10 are fearful of mathematics. This is an alarming statistic because math is required for all realworld jobs as it is the language of logical reasoning and problem solving.
Make inclusive education in mathematics mandatory
Students are introduced to math as early as kindergarten. As the student moves up the school grades, s\he is classified into two groups based on the acumen and aptitude for math.
This may not be done overtly, but the language used by teachers, parents, and peers brings about a clear distinction among students.
Along with this, stigmas such as “math come naturally to boys” or “math is for the intelligent” or “math is not for everybody” affects a child’s self-confidence, and in the process math anxiety.
This is then perceived as a subject which is not fun and easy anymore rather meant for only the super-intelligent students. Coping with the fear of maths primarily needs positive attitude towards the subject and use of encouraging language.
Parents should also educate themselves that every child has a particular pace of learning and they need to equip and provide them with the right tools for success.
Numbers tell a story
It’s unlikely to come across any child who does not like stories. Mathematics, too, can be explained through storytelling rather than explaining an abstract concept. The difference is that of perspective.
The language of mathematics has been around all of us for a long time and has been used almost daily to communicate with one another either offline or online.
From looking at the watch to knowing the exact time of the day to availing discounts on our favourite e-commerce websites, math is applied everywhere.
We look at numbers in a very abstract way study whereas students tend to relate more with a subject when that they can try and use it in their everyday life.
Find your own cue to math
Another perception increases math anxiety is the fact that it requires ‘too much thinking’. While some concepts do require thinking, reasons for this discord are the redundancy of conventional teaching. It helps if the student keeps curiosity and imagination alive regarding math and is provided with fun ways to learn the subject.
Everyone can do better at math; all one must do is to find ways to understand the basic concepts which helps them to simplify math problems.
There may be one correct answer to solving math problems, but there are many alternative techniques to master the subject. Parents and guardians should be open to allow their children to try and learn. Overall, math just like any other educational field is a skill. Whether an individual can identify oneself as a ‘math person’ or not, should not be the goal – neither for student nor for teacher or parents. The effort needs to be towards giving math a chance and to befriend it – allowing individuals to observe, probe and analyse with new perspective and armed with a new skill set.