True or False: Keep giving more drill and repetition questions until children get it!
False False, find another way to teach or explain the concept. All too often, children receive worksheets with drill and repetition, this only leads to overkill and negative math attitudes! When a concept isn't understood, it's time to find another method of teaching it. No new learning has ever occurred as a result of repetition and drill. Negative attitudes toward math are usually the result of overuse of worksheets.
In summary:
Positive attitudes towards math are the first step to success. When does the most powerful learning usually occur? When one makes a mistake! If you take the time to analyze where you go wrong, you can't help but learn. Never feel badly about making mistakes in mathematics.
Societal needs have changed, thus math has changed. We are now in an information age with technology paving the way. It is no longer enough to do computations; that's what calculators and computers are for. Math today requires decisions about which keys to punch in and which graph to use, not how to construct them! Math requires creative problem solving techniques. Today's math requires real-life problems to solve, a skill highly prized by employers today. Math requires knowing when and how to use the tools to assist in the problem solving process. This happens as early as pre-kindergarten when children seek counters, an abacus, blocks and a variety of other manipulatives. Family involvement is also critical in nurting a positive and risk-taking attitudes in math. The sooner this begins, the sooner one will become more successful in math.
Math has never been more important, technology demands that we work smarter and have stronger problem solving skills. Experts suggest that in the next 5-7 years there will be twice as much math as there is today. There are many reasons to learn math and it's never too late to start!
