Math? Ugh.. scary!
Is it true? Well that’s what most of my friends at 4th year elementary school said. At that time, I didn’t think that math was so hard or even scary, although the teacher did scary. He was a huge, black guy with curly beard, and an eyeglass with a thick turtle shell’s frame.
The passion about math was grown from that point, to collage, until now. Today, I’m still working in an education software developer company as math software content’s script writer. Now, as I grew older, I tried to understand why I can love math so much. So I can help my (future) children, or any children to love math like I do. Well, at least not scared so much so they can learn it whole heartedly. It’s not for them, ONLY, to pass exams, but to use it in their daily life.
Where is it from?
Most kids, at my time, hate math because there were so many numbers and formulas to remember. Plus, a scary teacher just makes it perfect. I was a transferred student from a higher education-quality type of school. There, I was taught higher math. Because of that, I can easily pass any math task at 4th year math. It helped me understand more about math. How easy it was when I understand where the formula came from and what is it for. I’ve never tried to memorized the formula, only where and how the formula was formed.
Number Sense
In math curriculum for Singapore, student’s was taught about estimation. They are asked to estimate the result without any calculating tools or any paper to write, just their head and their sense of numbers. At my time, I’ve never knew estimation, but that’s what I did. I started with multiplication. I never memorized it (even until now). The easiest multiplication I can remember is multiplication of 5 and 10. So I use it more often.
Example: calculate 6 x 7. I estimate it’s closest easiest multiplication, which is 5 x 7 is 35. But I need another 7 to complete the calculation, so I add 7 to 35. But I bumped to another hard thing to do, it’s an addition over 10. I broke 7 + 35 to (2 + 5) + 35, equal 2 + 40, equal 42.
See, I don’t need to use any calculating device. I just use my head and number sense. I don’t need to count it quick, if I need it quick I can use a calculator. I do it for fun.
See surrounding and have fun!
As a child, I love to have fun. Once I like something to play with, I’ll play with it many times until I get bored. And Math? I’ve never been bored with math. Why? Because there are so many things in life are using math. I started with small things, such as grouping my marbles, count my stuffed dolls. I use math every where, anytime I can. I use math to calculate the ingredients in a recipe to cut it in half or multiply it several times. I use math to re-arrange my room. Will my desk fit that wall? Or, will my cupboard fit this space? … and many more.
The most important key is, having fun. Once I like something I can have fun with, I can learn much more about it with out getting scared or feeling forced to learn. It turns out that, this method works in any subject. Not just math, but any possible things that I was scared with. It helped me a lot. I hope it can help my children in the future.
The passion about math was grown from that point, to collage, until now. Today, I’m still working in an education software developer company as math software content’s script writer. Now, as I grew older, I tried to understand why I can love math so much. So I can help my (future) children, or any children to love math like I do. Well, at least not scared so much so they can learn it whole heartedly. It’s not for them, ONLY, to pass exams, but to use it in their daily life.
Where is it from?
Most kids, at my time, hate math because there were so many numbers and formulas to remember. Plus, a scary teacher just makes it perfect. I was a transferred student from a higher education-quality type of school. There, I was taught higher math. Because of that, I can easily pass any math task at 4th year math. It helped me understand more about math. How easy it was when I understand where the formula came from and what is it for. I’ve never tried to memorized the formula, only where and how the formula was formed.
Number Sense
In math curriculum for Singapore, student’s was taught about estimation. They are asked to estimate the result without any calculating tools or any paper to write, just their head and their sense of numbers. At my time, I’ve never knew estimation, but that’s what I did. I started with multiplication. I never memorized it (even until now). The easiest multiplication I can remember is multiplication of 5 and 10. So I use it more often.
Example: calculate 6 x 7. I estimate it’s closest easiest multiplication, which is 5 x 7 is 35. But I need another 7 to complete the calculation, so I add 7 to 35. But I bumped to another hard thing to do, it’s an addition over 10. I broke 7 + 35 to (2 + 5) + 35, equal 2 + 40, equal 42.
See, I don’t need to use any calculating device. I just use my head and number sense. I don’t need to count it quick, if I need it quick I can use a calculator. I do it for fun.
The most important key is, having fun.
See surrounding and have fun!
As a child, I love to have fun. Once I like something to play with, I’ll play with it many times until I get bored. And Math? I’ve never been bored with math. Why? Because there are so many things in life are using math. I started with small things, such as grouping my marbles, count my stuffed dolls. I use math every where, anytime I can. I use math to calculate the ingredients in a recipe to cut it in half or multiply it several times. I use math to re-arrange my room. Will my desk fit that wall? Or, will my cupboard fit this space? … and many more.
The most important key is, having fun. Once I like something I can have fun with, I can learn much more about it with out getting scared or feeling forced to learn. It turns out that, this method works in any subject. Not just math, but any possible things that I was scared with. It helped me a lot. I hope it can help my children in the future.
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