Maths Made Easy
Why are some people good at maths and others not?
This is a tough question and there are various answers based on opinions, mostly. Many say that it’s just one of those things. Maths is inextricably linked to IQ - in that to test your IQ you’ll be given several logic and maths puzzles to solve - so how can it not be? IQ is inherited largely but also nurtured. If Einstein had been born in a jungle with monkeys, you could have kissed his discoveries goodbye. Kids that have smart parents are likely to have inherited high IQ. They’ll also have parents that nurtured their own intelligence and learning and pass the discipline for learning down to their children.
Enjoying Maths
But it’s also true that if you don’t like a subject you are being taught at school – then you are not going to be good at it.
The smallest kid that is constantly being asked to do high jump and long jump in PE is soon going to learn they have a distinct disadvantage and get tired of coming bottom of the class. Thus, they are not going to enjoy it. But teach the small kid gymnastics, then they may very well excel as the gymnastic instructor is likely to prefer catching said child in a somersault. The child is thus going to enjoy the PE lesson a lot more.
Shy kids don’t like languages as being asked to speak in a group of thirty kids will wrangle and jarr their nerves each lesson.
Setting Achievable Goals
Some kids just don’t have a high inherited IQ and are going to find maths tough going. Thus, its super important to set achievable goals for different kids.
When examining Maths papers for less maths orientated kids it’s obvious to see that more everyday problems are posed. Some kids are just never going to be able to solve advanced maths problems – not everyone can be a brain surgeon or an astronaut. So problems need to be life problems such as understanding common labels on food and other products.
Don’t Give Up!
Kids lower down the maths ability spectrum should concentrate on getting a good grounding of percentages so that when they need to get a mortgage or some life insurance – they can understand what the financial product is and what they need. If it were up to me some areas of maths would never be taught to some kids as the battle is unlikely to be successful which can lead to frustration. Kids that “don’t get” maths especially adolescent boys can become so frustrated that they cannot control their anger and this leads to violence.
There is even a condition called dyscalculia which you can consider to be similar to dyslexia for words. Maths made is easy is vital for some kids.
Learn The Important Stuff
For kids that are never going to be great at Maths, don’t lose all hope and leave them feeling like dummies. Maths is fun, so make it fun by setting one on one time with less able kids. Make puzzles out of common maths basics. Teach them what the need to know to get by in life such as understanding weights and measurements and percentages.
Leave more complex maths to more able kids. And explain why they need these basics, for example, the kid might want to be a builder. While it’s not on our list of maths jobs, you’ll still they need to know some basic geometry and make brick puzzles, for example. Don’t forget that kids need lots of rewards and reassurance. And explain that they are better at other important stuff instead.
Not everyone is good at everything – that’s the lesson to be learned here.
