Make math a joyful learning experience

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/09/2016 (3354 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Fall… I love this time of year. I think at no other time does enthusiasm for all things school run so high. Everything’s new, from classmates to pencils to the sense anything is possible.

Parents can help their children have a great year in math by encouraging foundational pieces that will benefit their youngsters for years to come.

At a young age, children are very excited about mathematics. Peek into any kindergarten classroom and you’ll see myriad math activities as the kids play. They count, they compare and sort, they measure, they make patterns. It’s a joyful learning experience and it’s one you can continue at home. The key is recognizing the wonderful math all around us.

As adults, we take so many things for granted that can be a source of great discussions.

When we count a collection of objects, does it make a difference in what order they can be counted? When we combine a group with an odd number of objects with one that has an even number, why does the new total group have an odd number? Can we find a more efficient way to count than by ones? The questions are endless.

Encourage your children’s curiosity by sharing their sense of wonder.

Math may not be your child’s favourite subject (yet), but why is that?

Part of the reason other subjects are well-liked is our approach to them. We encourage children to discuss and think deeply about what they’re reading, defend a point of view, and make generalizations. We recognize each person interprets a book or a historical event differently and we welcome that discourse.

We know from research that children who truly enjoy math are the ones who see it not as a closed loop of information being passed down to them but as a dynamic, exciting undertaking.

Unfortunately, there are a few prevailing myths about school math that have become so entrenched in our thinking that we hardly even notice them:

You have to be fast to be good at math

Laurent Schwartz, winner of the Fields Medal in mathematics, recalls in his autobiography how he was made to feel unintelligent in school because he was a slow thinker in math. Later in life, he realized the important thing in learning math was “to deeply understand things and their relationship to each other. This is where intelligence lies. The fact of being quick or slow isn’t really relevant.”

Some researchers have suggested this emphasis on speed may be the single biggest factor in turning generations of people off math.

Math is all about computation

Many parents have asked me: “What about their multiplication (or addition, subtraction, or division) facts? They are having a tough time memorizing them and it shows on the timed tests they take at school.”

I tell them, yes, knowledge of their facts is important and kids need to be fluent in this area.

I also remind them there are a number of ways, apart from memorization, to assist children in learning their facts.

Jo Boaler, a Stanford University professor, says, “Math facts are a very small part of mathematics, but unfortunately, students who don’t memorize well come to believe they can never be successful at math.” Not only is timed recall anxiety-producing but the resultant stress causes the working memory to be blocked.

Using facts often in a variety of situations and committing to memory the difficult ones will help develop quick recall. When helping your child, bear in mind any memorization should follow understanding the concepts. Kids should first learn how multiplication and addition are related, what division means, and so on.

Once your child has an understanding of the concepts behind the operations, a helpful approach might be to look at the patterns in a multiplication table. Which products show up once? Twice? More than twice? Why is that?

Our brains are pattern-seeking machines and an awareness of these patterns coupled with thoughtful practice will go a long way to helping your child learn the basic facts.

Computation is a part of mathematics learning and kids need to be capable in this area. The mistake is seeing computation as the most important or only thing about math. It would be like learning to read by only practising reciting the alphabet.

The alphabet is important, of course, but kids learn to read by reading, just as they learn to do math by doing math.

The right answer is important

If you’re building a bridge, this is pretty important (OK, really important). But in school, we want children to deeply learn the concepts in math that will allow them to one day build bridges that will stay up. We want children to make mistakes along the way. It’s through mistakes that true learning happens, as well as a mindset of persistence.

You want your children to learn to appreciate math, just as they would appreciate a good book or a beautiful poem. Help them see math is everywhere, that it is useful and makes sense.

Above all, by your own enthusiasm and interest, show them math is not simply something that happens in school and it is more than learning facts.

Neil Dempsey recently retired after a career in education in classrooms, divisional positions and school administration. He is now a doctoral student, teaching at university and working with a number of schools in Seven Oaks School Division.