1/ The pre-kindergarten years are critical for introducing Math & Science through fun hands-on activities:
- cooking (weigh, measure, and observe how food combine and change)
- singing & dancing (counting, pitch, duration, and loudness)
- card/board games (monopoly is the best)
2/ Don't teach math as systems/ rules that kids have to learn/remember.
- Some parents circumvent the possibility of kids not liking math by embedding it into their brains before kids have a chance to like/dislike it.
-If you are going this route, monitor the fun factor!
3/ Living and loving math with them around the house.
- Plan a trip together 'how long is that going to take by airplane, car or train?'
- Read map together (and then check it with GPS)
- Find the cost of having a pet (food, toys, vet bills, etc)
- Read an analog clock together
4/ Focus on teaching the 'whys' first.
- Take long division for example
- It is often possible to learn the "how" mechanically without understanding why something works. Procedures learned this way are often forgotten very easily.
- Strive to work on the 'whys' then the 'hows'
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Back in 2003, hard-working kids came into my office all day long.
They couldn't pass math tests when stakes are high.
Yet they were getting 100% they got on projects, homework assignments, and sometimes even quizzes with high marks.
And it was not just high school kids. Middle school kids and sometimes even grade school kids.
To help these kids to pass math tests with ease and get the scores they deserve, I needed to help see they were making 3 types of mistakes on tests over and over again.
Type #1. mistakes from going too fast
Type #2. mistakes from poor time-management
Type #3. mistakes from weak math foundations
Get a 30,000-ft perspective on how math governs the physical universe with a book by Roger Penrose #nobelPrize in physics 2002:
"The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe"
2/ Learn once, teach twice.
If you're in finance, teach compound interest; if you're in marketing, teach Bell curve; if you're in startups, teach ROI.
3/ Forgive your bad math teacher, said an HS dropout.
"Not all teachers are good teachers. This was something I learned a bit too late. I should've focused on learning the basics and constantly practice. I gave up. You shouldn’t.
I'm not a stupid person. Math was my kryptonite."