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GRRRR!!!!!! My boys are amazing mathematicians


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When I assign math the moans and groans and "This is TOOOOO hard" comes out.

 

When I give them each $50 to spend at Disney (no cash but I am keeping a running total) they are amazing! They can do it in their heads in 10 seconds flat.

 

"No, Mom, I spent $22.72 so far. That means I have (10 seconds) $27.28 left! That is about 54% left, right?"

 

:glare::glare::glare:

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I have long believed that math, by itself, is too abstract for most people to learn it well without also learning the application of the math at the same time.

 

This is a big issue at the university level in which high-level math courses are prerequisites for engineering courses which use the math. That approach makes sense, but it makes learning the math more difficult because it is often quite difficult to imagine why such math even exists until you later get into the courses which apply the math.

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It's amazing how they can do math (which normally makes them groan) just by changing the subject of the problem. My dd right now is in the "Cookie Math" phase. Anytime she struggles with an addition fact I rephrase it using cookies....she gets the answer with no hesitation.

 

I think the previous poster has it. Math needs to be more visual for some the child to get it.

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That does it! You need to moved to Disney and live there so you can get schoolwork done faster! :lol:

 

I'll move in next door. Everything is more fun with the Mouse!!!!

 

:lol::lol:

 

When ds was younger, a friend who worked part time at Disney used to get us in for free using her extra comp. tickets. One day we were feeling bad about taking the kids to the Magic Kingdom instead of staying home doing school. Then we looked at the kids. They were reading the map of the MK and trying to plan their day. We looked at each other and at the same time said, "Map skills!"

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It's amazing how they can do math (which normally makes them groan) just by changing the subject of the problem. My dd right now is in the "Cookie Math" phase. Anytime she struggles with an addition fact I rephrase it using cookies....she gets the answer with no hesitation.

We do "Cookie Math" here, too! Now it's "Cookie Algebra"! :D

 

DD's brain just thinks better with cookies than with x's and y's!

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It's amazing how they can do math (which normally makes them groan) just by changing the subject of the problem. My dd right now is in the "Cookie Math" phase. Anytime she struggles with an addition fact I rephrase it using cookies....she gets the answer with no hesitation.

 

I think the previous poster has it. Math needs to be more visual for some the child to get it.

 

Isn't it interesting; we do the same thing!

 

For example, when learning which fraction is bigger, 3/4 or 3/9; I'd say 'I have one cookie I cut into four pieces, and one cookie I cut into nine pieces. Which cookie do you want three pieces from?'

 

Neat to watch that lightbulb turn on. :)

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I have long believed that math, by itself, is too abstract for most people to learn it well without also learning the application of the math at the same time.

 

This is a big issue at the university level in which high-level math courses are prerequisites for engineering courses which use the math. That approach makes sense, but it makes learning the math more difficult because it is often quite difficult to imagine why such math even exists until you later get into the courses which apply the math.

 

I think you are absolutely right. As a matter of fact I has a long conversation about this very topic with a high school maths teacher the other day. We both agreed that it is vitally important for kids to have a context for the maths they are learning.

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