Mathematics including touch math numbers 1-9 is a difficult but very important subject in the school curriculum. We tell you how to get your child interested in algebra and geometry, and why even humanities students need it.
Social stereotypes divide people into technicians and humanitarians. It is considered that the first perceive information through numbers and algorithms; they have better logical thinking, and the second perceive the world through feelings and images; they can create and generate ideas.
For the first time such a division occurs at school. If you have difficulty with the exact sciences, you are a humanist; no matter how hard you try, you won’t get anywhere with mathematics.
It used to be believed that a person was born with a talent in a certain field, and the only way to change this was to strenuously develop another field from an early age.
This approach has long been irrelevant. Scientists have proved: when a person has a problem that he or she has never faced before, the brain allocates a group of neurons to solve it. Their formation is individual for each task, so it is impossible to talk about an innate predisposition to any skills: with the proper effort, any person can learn anything. Even if a child has a hard time with word processing, he can become a great mathematician in the future, if he just wants to.
In today’s world, there is no division into humanities and technology. A person can do what he or she wants to do, and not be guided by an “innate” ability.
Success in this or that subject largely depends on the charisma and manner of teaching the teacher. Too much rote learning can discourage a student from studying math, even if the child has a predisposition for it.
In today’s world, specialists who are versatile, able to work with numbers, algorithms and texts, who use creativity, rely on a variety of skills and abilities, are valued. For example, a good programmer knows foreign languages, and a game designer should be able to edit the script of the game and creatively work out the characters.
How to captivate your child in math
To develop an interest in algebra and geometry, tell your child how these subjects will be useful in life and how they can be applied in practice. Check out 4th grade math help for parents.
5 reasons to love math:
Regularly solving equations and problems trains the brain, improves memory, develops attentiveness, and broadens the mind.
Mathematics may be needed in everyday life at any time, such as finding out how many days’ worth of pocket money is enough.
Calculations are in many sciences, such as chemistry, physics, and geography. Even the humanities – languages and literature – rely on mathematical and logical laws.
For those who are serious about algebra and geometry, there is a beauty and harmony in them, akin to music – when studied deeply, a love for mathematics emerges.
Mathematics is really very simple. It has only two aspects. The first is the rigor of logical thinking. The inability to trace cause and effect relationships is a big problem of humanity. Because of this, there is a lot of conflict. Mathematics, on the other hand, allows us to determine whether “A” follows from “B” at the level of reflexes. If the problem doesn’t say something, you have no right to assume it, and if it does, you can’t ignore it. And the second is applied skills. Everything around us has an engineering background. Mathematics helps us understand how it all works.
Mathematics is interesting when there is creativity in it, and the laws are clear and easy to use. However, the speed of learning is different for all children, so it is important to spend enough time on each topic to understand and work through it qualitatively. Thus, Foxford Externship and Home School students can move at their own pace. Classes are held in online mode, when you can immediately communicate with the teacher and ask him questions. All videos are saved and can be studied at any time and watched again. For kids who are passionate about this subject and want to participate in the Olympiads, the Foxford Externship has a mathematical educational route.
5 ways to love math
The main thing is to make lessons interesting. Here are some tips to help the whole family have fun and enjoy learning science and fall in love with math.
Find Math in Real Life
Exact science is all around us, and if you show it to your child, he or she will never have to ask, “Where can I use algebra and geometry?”
You can start with something simple: counting change in a store or naming what shapes ordinary objects are made of (a glass is a cylinder, a bed is a rectangle, and so on).
The older a person is, the more interesting math becomes around him. A high school student can be entrusted with keeping a family budget or planning finances for a vacation. All of this will become a daily practice for mathematical thinking.
Start playing to love math
Computer and board games are great for developing an interest in math. The advantage of board games is that it is a hobby for the whole family. Interesting math game “7 on 9” will please both children and adults. In it, each card is closed by the one on which the sum of the numbers shown is higher. It’s a great way to practice mental arithmetic and reaction time: Whoever gets rid of the cards first wins.
You can find many free interactive puzzles on the Internet. For example, the app “Math. Puzzles and Math Game” app has 100 levels of difficulty, each with an original puzzle – a quick and easy way to practice your math skills.
Solve difficult problems
Textbook examples are sometimes boring, and may seem too easy to those who already understand the topic you’ve covered. To keep your child from falling out of love with math, encourage interest with difficult but manageable puzzles. Many of these problems are written specifically for Olympics.
Read books
It’s ironic that literature can both pique your interest in math and inspire you to do research of your own. Younger students and teens will benefit from fiction stories about mathematics and unusual collections and problem books. We recommend paying attention to these books: Lev Gendenshtein’s “Alice in the Land of Mathematics,” Vladimir Levshin’s “Master of Scattered Sciences: A Mathematical Trilogy” and Igor Sharygin’s “Grandpa Gavrila’s Lessons, or Developing Vacations. In each of them a bright hero comprehends the wisdom of mathematics, and without the help of the reader there is no way he can cope.
For an older age fit biographies of famous explorers and popular science books. Have your child read The Pleasure of X by Stephen Strogatz or The Magic of Math by Arthur Benjamin.
Watch educational videos
Short video lectures are a handy format for getting your child to love math. We recommend a popular YouTube channel for those interested in the exact sciences and ready to go beyond the school curriculum – Sibscience, run by real scientists. They talk about everything from the basics of geometry to game theory and economics.
Also, the basic courses of Foxford Externship will help stimulate your interest in mathematics and prepare you for exams in this subject. Choose the right grade in the catalog, and explore the beauty of algebra and geometry with teachers from the best universities in the country!