Will you define "mathy" for me?? Please??

[abrightmom]

We talk about the term "mathy" a lot on math threads. It has dawned on me that I'm really not SURE about its meaning . . . what are the qualities/characteristics of a "mathy mom" (or dad :001_smile:)? How do I know if I am truly non-mathy or if perhaps I'm more mathy than I realized? How does one become mathy?

 

And, if I'm using Singapore math as a non-mathy Mom how do I KNOW if I'm teaching it properly? I really think I'm not mathy so it scares me half to death to teach mathy math because I think I won't KNOW if I'm teaching it properly or not (versus teaching something "traditional" or "American" which I don't want to do).

 

HELP! :auto::lol:

[Satori]

I sometimes call myself mathy because I have always loved math. I was on the Math Team and started college as a math major. I love long calculus and physics problems. I also enjoy computer programming.

 

At this moment I'm on the Khan Academy watching math videos, I intend to get back up to speed on all the math subjects before I start teaching my daughter things like algebra, trig, etc...

 

So that's why I consider myself mathy. I'm a bit of a geek. I'm not sure if being mathy will help me teach my daughter the more difficult subjects, but I am not intimidated by math. I am very excited to teach it and I hope that enthusiasm transfers to my daughter.

[EKS]

I've always assumed that when someone says a kid is mathy they mean that he or she is good at math and likes it. That it comes easily. That sort of thing.

 

As for a mom being mathy, I've thought that means that she is good at math, likes it, and feels confident about teaching it.

 

As for teaching Singapore properly, I *highly* recommend the book Elementary Mathematics for Teachers.

[Crimson Wife]

My DH is "mathy". He intuitively grasps concepts without a lot of explanation or hand-holding. He can look at a tricky Singapore Intensive Practice problem that DD and I have sat there trying to figure out for ages and quickly figure out what to do. He loves numbers and actually considers it "fun" to build financial models in Excel.

 

I don't know that one can learn to become a "mathy" person but I do know that Dr. Joan Cotter of Right Start and Maria Miller of Math Mammoth have done wonders in helping my understanding of the basic concepts. :D

[Jayne J]

When I say "my ds is mathy" I mean that he has a natural bent that lets him understand and enjoy number play. He likes numbers, he likes playing with them and figuring out how they work, he likes doing his math work, he spontaneously does his Math Wraps because they are fun. I am NON-mathy. I *can* do it. I passed high school calculus with an A. But I hated every minute. Numbers are not fun for me. I don't have innate joy in manipulating them, nor are they as...communicative... to me. DH is mathy--he can see strings of numbers and to him they convey some concrete reality beyond the numbers themselves.

 

I guess that makes me..."wordy." :D

[ChandlerMom]

Perhaps mathy means, when confronted with math, your palms get sweaty with excitement rather than fear. :D

 

I hadn't heard the term before coming to this board, but I figure I qualify as "mathy" since I make a living working with an unsolvable math equation..and like it. :tongue_smilie:

 

To me, "mathy" is just about feeling comfortable and confident working with math, and perhaps getting a glimpse now and again of the "big picture".

[FO4UR]

My ds8 is mathy. He picks up math concepts easily, even if he doesn't always enjoy math practice. I worked myself up to teach him regrouping, multiplication, etc...and he looked at me like I had 2 heads and showed me how he already knew that.:001_huh: He is good at visualizing the problem. We are still in elem math, so here is hoping he keeps this up long term.

 

I was mathy at one point...somewhere between geometry (which I enjoyed) and calc (which I survived by the skin of my teeth) I fell victim to memorizing algorithms and not truly understanding what I was doing. If I would have had LOF, I might have majored in math...I took Statistics in college to fulfill the college math credit b/c the easy college math class was full and I wanted to get it out of the way that first semester...I breezed through it. So while I think I have math potential, it has yet to be realized.:tongue_smilie:

 

The Miquon/Singapore way of doing elementary math seems very natural/common sense to me.

[Ester Maria]

I have one "mathy" child. She understands the concepts intuitively, it "makes sense" to her usually prima vista, and she doesn't need to work through numerous problems of repetitive nature. Math for her has always been challenging work rather than busy work. Speaking of "grade levels" with her is absurd, the kid is just out of the realm of any definition - she understands math, not 2nd/7th/12th/whatever "grade" math. She understands math, as a discipline, intuitively, on its own terms, effortlessly. It has always been like that, her understanding may go deeper with time, but she was always the kid that "gets" it.

 

My eldest though has been a mix: while she definitely "gets it" - and gets it a year or so above her supposed "grade level" - she will not always understand things at first sight, intuitively, and will sometimes have to practice patterns to get the feeling of security and that she knows it. She also doesn't quite understand math "on its own terms", she has tendencies of verbalizing it (a different learning profile I guess, different strengths overall in education) and understanding it differently, with some effort invovled. She's still a potential for an A in any math class until graduation because she's such a bright child, but she doesn't have that distinct math-bent that my middle child has. It would require considerably more effort and adaptation to a different "mentality" for her to become very successful in a math-related or scientific field. She could do it, without a problem, again, because she's such a bright kid in general, but it's not her "natural habitat", if you get what I mean.

 

A bit like drawing, that's also one example in which they differ: that same mathy kid just sees things and can reproduce them with minimal effort and teaching. The non-mathy kid can be instructed to see things, and with much effort get to speak to art on its own terms, but it's not a "natural environment" for her, not a natural skill, but an adopted one, while younger sister has just always had a feel for it even without formal instruction.

 

Generally I'm of an opinion that most kids are teachable most things, but those that are "mathy", "languagey", "artsy" or whatnot have a distinct feel for it that manifests itself outside of the limits of formal instruction and the ways of the discipline seem "natural" to them rather than "acquired".

[abrightmom]

:crying: I think it is true that I am not mathy. I never have been . . . but I NEVER "got" math and NOBODY tried to help me "get it". I was perpetually behind even though I tried and tried. I wanted to get it. I wanted As in math.

 

Fast forward 20+ years (ouch!) and now I WANT to be mathy. :001_smile: The little bit of teaching experience I have gained this past year or two has awakened in me a HOPE that math is within my reach. I want to study through Singapore or Math Mammoth for myself . . .

 

I just don't think I have enough math intuition of the right sort to launch out on my own in teaching my kiddos . . . like these parents who mesh 3 programs, pulling this and that in to fashion a personalized math track for their child. I don't know how to roll with the inevitable punches and what to DO when we hit a road block. Standardized tests always loom and though deep down I don't CARE a whit about them (they just infuriate me, really) there is another part of me that does care. I want my kiddo to realize success if he has to be subjected to the test. :001_smile:

 

Math is daunting for me right now. MM has served me well this past year but both of my boys are struggling . . . I'm going to give Singapore a whirl, even for just half a year (1 workbook each), and see if I can't mesh the two. See why I'm scared? How does a non mathy Mom "mesh" math programs? How do I know when we just need a break or we need to practice math facts recall or we need to play games or we need to switch programs or we need a different approach (spiral v. mastery) or . . . ? Or maybe we just need to ride it out with MM and "trust the process" . . .

 

Today, I hate math. :auto:

[poetic license]

 

Fast forward 20+ years (ouch!) and now I WANT to be mathy. :001_smile: The little bit of teaching experience I have gained this past year or two has awakened in me a HOPE that math is within my reach. I want to study through Singapore or Math Mammoth for myself . . .

 

 

 

This is me, to a T.

 

I want to be mathy, and even though DS is only on grade 1, I feel like I'm learning along with him! My goal is for math to be like a second language to me, as I learn along with my son. I think that's why I expose him to so many different approaches--Miquon, MM, MEP... I'm reteaching myself. And I know that when we get to the multiplication tables, I'll be memorizing them along with him! :lol:

 

Khan academy is great too--I'm planning to teach myself some math over again before DS & DD get to it.

[Hedgehogs4]

I sometimes call myself mathy because I have always loved math. I was on the Math Team and started college as a math major. I love long calculus and physics problems. I also enjoy computer programming.

 

At this moment I'm on the Khan Academy watching math videos, I intend to get back up to speed on all the math subjects before I start teaching my daughter things like algebra, trig, etc...

 

So that's why I consider myself mathy. I'm a bit of a geek. I'm not sure if being mathy will help me teach my daughter the more difficult subjects, but I am not intimidated by math. I am very excited to teach it and I hope that enthusiasm transfers to my daughter.

 

yes...i'd say that counts as "mathy."

 

if you need to define "mathy" by its antithesis, I would stand up to represent that. I love math for what it represents in the world, but that is about the end of it. I want my kids to not fear math the way I did in school, but I embrace all things language, music, and arts, and numbers are the things most distant from my mind. When "they" say to teach your children math by bringing it into your everyday life teaching your kids to measure, for instance, that is difficult...I barely measure ingredients for cooking--if it looks right, smells right, tastes right it is close enough.

 

I don't think I qualify as "mathy." It is difficult to teach my kids how to be "mathy" when I myself am not.

[kristin0713]

ha...i am so NOT "mathy." my brain starts to shut down if i hear too many numbers. DH, on the other hand, can talk numbers night and day and loves it. i think i have at least one kiddo who is mathy and i'm hoping that the right foundation in math will help the other one not struggle as i always have, even if she is not as mathematically inclined.

[jennynd]

I consider myself mathy. I never need a lot teaching, in fact, I taught myself since middle school through college and was teacher assistance since middle school and responsible giving and teaching my classmate test/quiz. I also love physics, and that leads me become an engineer.

 

I will consider my son mathy. He is 6 yrs old and working on Singapore 5A like it is nothing.

I will not consider hubby mathy, although he has a PhD in Aerospace and mechanical engineer. I beat him in math in graduate school when we took the same classl :D

[Spy Car]

Katrina,

 

Let's do a little test to see if you are "mathy."

 

Can you do this subtraction problem in your head?:

 

376 - 98 = [ ]

 

No? Feeling stupid and un-mathy? Itching for a pad and pencil, or *gasp* a calculator?

 

What if you realized that adding a value to both sides of a subtraction problem (say +2) would leave the equation mathematically valid (and a lot easier).

 

Let's try:

 

378 - 100 = [ ]

 

Look who is mathy now!

 

You can do this.

 

Bill

[SilverMoon]

I've always assumed that when someone says a kid is mathy they mean that he or she is good at math and likes it. That it comes easily. That sort of thing.

 

This is how I mean it. I have one kid who seems to understand math concepts before he ever gets to them in his book. His lessons merely give him names for the concepts he's already familiar with. In his kindy year he could look at a stack of tortillas, tell me exactly how many I'd need to make his dad X quesadillas, and how many I'd have leftover to make him Y quesadillas. Another of mine does math for fun like some people do crosswords. The latter finds humor on pages full of plain ole drill. I call these two kids mathy.

 

My "not-so-mathy" kid struggles to learn new math concepts, and we often have to back up for some review before moving to the next chapter. Once he *does* get the new concept it will be rock solid and he'll do it faster than I can.

 

I was/am more like my fourth student, who is somewhere in the middle on this spectrum. Excluding those years I spent with ACE curricula (:tongue_smilie:), I don't recall math ever being hard work. It wasn't exactly my favorite subject though. How we deal with roadblocks differs for each kid, though I can't recall the last roadblock my mathy kids had. If my not-so mathy kid is just not getting the concept at all, we'll act it out on the whiteboard until he's comfortable enough to act it out for me, telling me why he's doing the steps he's doing as he goes. If it seems like he's shaky on any of it by the chapter review, we'll back up and do the odds of the more difficult lessons again before jumping into the review.

[boscopup]

Everyone has subjects that they are better or worse in. In school, my strongest subject was math. My weaker subject was English. I am "mathy". Math came easily to me. I did well in math classes and understood concepts without much teaching. Math is a subject I'm good at. English was one of my weaker subjects, so I wouldn't call myself "Englishy". :lol: I did well in English compared to the average student, but it wasn't as easy for me as math.

 

My oldest son, who is 6, is "mathy". The other day, having not been taught division in any math program as of yet, he walked up to me and said "Mama! 12 divided by 4 is 3!" In the van one day when I was teaching him some tricks to multiplying by 10 (just adding a zero), he said "So 1000 times 1000 is 1,000,000!", while I was still counting zeroes to make sure he was correct. :tongue_smilie:I had not told him about multiplying by 1000. We had talked about multiplying by 10 and 100, and he made the application to figure out multiplying by 1000. He's very good at figuring out math in his head.

 

Basically, he often figures out math before I teach him a concept. He ends up not having to work hard at math, because we just briefly go over a new concept, he practices a few problems, and he understands it.

 

I suspect my son will be like me and not be as good in English (literary analysis and the like). He's a great reader, but I don't think he'll be "Englishy", or whatever you would call the English version of "mathy". :D He'll probably be good at English, but math will be his stronger subject. My DH and I are both the same way, so we're not surprised.

 

Now how does this apply to my homeschool? Well, math doesn't scare me in the least. I feel confident going into upper level math later on. I'll have to refresh my memory on things before teaching it, but I feel comfortable with doing that. Teaching writing, OTOH, scares me to death. SWB's writing lecture has helped me a TON to feel better about it, but I am still mildly fearful of the logic and rhetoric stages when it comes to writing. Some homeschool moms are comfortable with writing, but scared of math. We just all have our strengths and weaknesses. :)

[FO4UR]

I have one "mathy" child. She understands the concepts intuitively, it "makes sense" to her usually prima vista, and she doesn't need to work through numerous problems of repetitive nature. Math for her has always been challenging work rather than busy work. Speaking of "grade levels" with her is absurd, the kid is just out of the realm of any definition - she understands math, not 2nd/7th/12th/whatever "grade" math. She understands math, as a discipline, intuitively, on its own terms, effortlessly. It has always been like that, her understanding may go deeper with time, but she was always the kid that "gets" it.

 

My eldest though has been a mix: while she definitely "gets it" - and gets it a year or so above her supposed "grade level" - she will not always understand things at first sight, intuitively, and will sometimes have to practice patterns to get the feeling of security and that she knows it. She also doesn't quite understand math "on its own terms", she has tendencies of verbalizing it (a different learning profile I guess, different strengths overall in education) and understanding it differently, with some effort invovled. She's still a potential for an A in any math class until graduation because she's such a bright child, but she doesn't have that distinct math-bent that my middle child has. It would require considerably more effort and adaptation to a different "mentality" for her to become very successful in a math-related or scientific field. She could do it, without a problem, again, because she's such a bright kid in general, but it's not her "natural habitat", if you get what I mean.

 

A bit like drawing, that's also one example in which they differ: that same mathy kid just sees things and can reproduce them with minimal effort and teaching. The non-mathy kid can be instructed to see things, and with much effort get to speak to art on its own terms, but it's not a "natural environment" for her, not a natural skill, but an adopted one, while younger sister has just always had a feel for it even without formal instruction.

 

Generally I'm of an opinion that most kids are teachable most things, but those that are "mathy", "languagey", "artsy" or whatnot have a distinct feel for it that manifests itself outside of the limits of formal instruction and the ways of the discipline seem "natural" to them rather than "acquired".

 

I like your definition.:001_smile: Math is something I'm able to adopt...I think ds8 has been able to adopt math without drudgery, but I'm not convinced he's what you would call natural (or gifted) in math. He's simply had positive exposure at a young age. I think "mathy" on this board tends to describe dc like my ds rather than your dd.

[Woodhaven]

I think of "mathy" as being good or quick with math. Someone who is "mathy" is not afraid of math - even enjoys a good math challenge.

 

I am not "mathy". Still, I have used Singapore (I love Singapore) and Miquon to teach my boys in their first years of math, and then when they are beyond 3rd grade, we switch to Singapore and Key to series. So, my boys are all mathy. They learn quickly - almost too quickly. That's why I suppliment Singapore with Miquon and the Key to series. I need the time to catch up with them. :)

 

I'm at a point with my oldest ds who is in Singapore 6B of just trying to keep up with him. He gets the answers in half the time it takes me.

 

I still have a hard time believing they can go through the material so quickly!

 

Just saying, you CAN teach Singapore if you are willing to learn right along your child. My kids are doing great with Singapore and I haven't had to lean on my dh (a truly mathy person) for help. It is so much easier with the next children than it was with my first.

[Dolphin]

I saw a t-shirt once that I really got "I am an English major, YOU do the math!" That is me in a nutshell. I struggled with math all my life. My dh did first year University Math and Chemistry (in UK) and his dad was the head of the Math department.

 

That being said, I found out somethings, turns out, a lot of "Mathy" people are really bad at/don't get statistics, where as that was the one area of Math that I got.

 

So anyway, I am and have always been bad at Math. Yesterday with Singapore math I taught my ds division with a remainder thanks to Singapore math. ME! I am really loving Singapore Math more and more as we are using it.

[8filltheheart]

All of my kids are very good in math, but I don't consider them all mathy. My oldest is good enough in math that he is a sr in chemical engineering. He has always been very strong in math. I have a 6th grader currently taking alg.

 

But.......my 15 yos sees the world in patterns and thinks about math for enjoyment. He puzzles over complicated math proofs in his spare time. He talks about math (and physics) pretty much all the time. He is my mathy child.

 

That's my definition. I don't see it necessarily equated with skill so much as passion. :)

Edited February 22, 2011 by 8FillTheHeart

[Hedgehogs4]

I saw a t-shirt once that I really got "I am an English major, YOU do the math!" That is me in a nutshell. I struggled with math all my life. My dh did first year University Math and Chemistry (in UK) and his dad was the head of the Math department.

 

That being said, I found out somethings, turns out, a lot of "Mathy" people are really bad at/don't get statistics, where as that was the one area of Math that I got.

 

So anyway, I am and have always been bad at Math. Yesterday with Singapore math I taught my ds division with a remainder thanks to Singapore math. ME! I am really loving Singapore Math more and more as we are using it.

 

Funny, I don't get math, nor do I get statistics, but boy, did I get Geometry and fractions! What does that make me? I love doing proofs! Isn't that weird?

[Satori]

I agree with the passion thing.

 

My daughter is definitely not "mathy". She is probably above average in math, and picks up everything right away, but she needs to be taught. She's not going to be teaching herself any complicated math concepts anytime soon. She does her math work happily, but never begs for more (unless it's RightStart games). No passion for math unfortunately. I hope that can change in the future! On the other hand, that girl is writing *all* *day* *long*.

 

Interesting about the Statistics thing. I hated Statistics in college, and wondered why I wasn't good at it, when other math came so easily to me!

[guateangel]

Katrina,

 

Let's do a little test to see if you are "mathy."

 

Can you do this subtraction problem in your head?:

 

376 - 98 = [ ]

 

No? Feeling stupid and un-mathy? Itching for a pad and pencil, or *gasp* a calculator?

 

What if you realized that adding a value to both sides of a subtraction problem (say +2) would leave the equation mathematically valid (and a lot easier).

 

Let's try:

 

378 - 100 = [ ]

 

Look who is mathy now!

 

You can do this.

 

Bill

__________________

 

 

*raising hand* for NOT mathy. :lol:

 

This is why dd gets the short end of the stick by having me as her math teacher. :blush:

[Spy Car]

*raising hand* for NOT mathy. :lol:

 

This is why dd gets the short end of the stick by having me as her math teacher. :blush:

 

But you can do 378 - 100 right?

 

Bill

[poetic license]

After reading a book called Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck, PhD, I started to look at these ideas of mathiness, athleticism, etc. differently.

 

Basically there is the fixed mindset, which views skills and strengths as pre-determined (i.e. you have a high IQ or not, you are athletic or you are not).

 

Then there is the growth mindset, which views each skill as something that can be developed.

 

There's a danger in mentally locking ourselves or our children into mathy or non-mathy categories.

 

I've thought of myself as non-mathy my whole life (even though I attended a math magnet middle school-go figure). But now, I have simply told myself that for the sake of my son, I will become mathy, that mathiness is not some sort of gift given at birth, it's a skill that has to be acquired. Some of us acquire it easier than others, no doubt ;)

 

This article explains it much better, including why it's literally damaging (esp in Math!) to over-do telling kids that they are "smart" in a subject:

 

The Secret to Raising Smart Kids

 

quote:

 

Hint: Don't tell your kids that they are. More than three decades of research shows that a focus on effort—not on intelligence or ability—is key to success in school and in life

Edited February 22, 2011 by poetic license
fixed link

[boscopup]

Basically there is the fixed mindset, which views skills and strengths as pre-determined (i.e. you have a high IQ or not, you are athletic or you are not).

 

Then there is the growth mindset, which views each skill as something that can be developed.

 

There's a danger in mentally locking ourselves or our children into mathy or non-mathy categories.

 

While I agree with some of this, there is a point where genetics do play a role. It doesn't matter how hard I train. I am never going to be an Olympic gymnist. My mother, my sister, and I cannot do cartwheels and never could as children. There is something in us that made us not gymnists. We have other strengths and talents, but gymnastics is definitely not it! We could certainly improve our flexibility and learn some gymnastic moves, but I can guarantee that no amount of training would make me an Olympic gymnist. Ever. :)

 

I do agree with the premise of valuing hard work vs. being intelligent in a subject. My son is naturally good at math - it comes easy to him. But one of the reasons I pulled him out of school was because he wasn't having to WORK in school at all. He was getting 100s on everything very easily. He was coasting through school. If he had kept up like that, he would have been an adult with a lot of brain potential but no work ethic. Instead, I have him at home, working at his own level, where he actually has to WORK and learn new things. That will serve him better in the long run.

 

I think someone who isn't naturally good at math can learn math and become good at it with hard work, but that isn't what I would really call "mathy" as the term is usually used around here. There's nothing wrong with not being "mathy" either. Again, we all have different strengths and weaknesses. My MIL talks all the time about how awful she is in math. She really struggled in school in math. Is she stupid? Absolutely not! But math is not her thing. Now she *can* learn math. If you put it in cooking or sewing terms, she'll figure it out. But math doesn't come easily to her like it does to her husband and son. She was better at language arts - those subjects came very easily to her. She was also good at art type stuff - drawing, sewing, etc. She is not "mathy", but she is capable of learning math with some hard work and the right explanation. Math just doesn't come naturally to her.