Yesterday, I read a great article entitled The Real Reason Why the U.S. is Falling Behind in Math. In this article, the author claims that when math is taught as a series of facts to be memorized, students find little utility or joy in the process. After all, mathematics, or "maths" as they call it everywhere else in the world, provides a set of tools that allow one to describe the world around him. For too often these tools, intended to apply to real-world problems and situations, are taught as if they were dry, boring procedures rather than dynamic, engaging thinking tools.So...what can we do to make maths more relevant, interesting, and enduring? Tie the math to real life!1) Start with real-world situations and then ask, "Where's the math?" You can do this when cooking, ordering food at a restaurant, determining how many miles you can travel on one tank of gas, determining unit prices at the grocery store. Try to find contexts that are real and engaging for your child. 2) Start with math questions and ask, "What would that look like in the real world?" For example, after solving a homework problem, ask your child to tell a story where that mathematical action might take place. For example, after solving the problem 3 + 4 x 52, your child might come up with something like this: "McDonald's was almost out of straws. There were only three left in the straw holder. Then Ronald McDonald came out with 4 boxes of straws. There were 52 straws in each of the boxes. Now all was good - there were 211 straws, plenty for the afternoon crowd."3) Look for ways to use math ideas in fun ways. Playing logic games, doing Sudoku puzzles, or playing card games are great ways to reinforce math skills. You can do a simple search such as "math card games" will take you to a number of different sites with ideas that span the grades. My search took me to Pintrest's Math with a Deck of Cards.So, what's the point here? Math should make sense! Helping children realize that math connects to the real world plays an important role in helping them know why they're learning all these ideas. Even when using objects to understand the process, such as KP Ten-Frame Tiles, children can use real-life contexts to help them make sense of the math. After all, in the example above, it's important for a child to know why you don't add the 3 + 4 to get 7 before multiplying by 52. Could you explain that clearly? Try it - use pictures or objects to show what's happening...and be sure to use a context that makes it relevant to the real world. Without the real-world connection, what's the point in learning school math, anyway?
