If we’ve not heard these questions being asked, we’ve been the ones asking them.
“What is math for?”
“Why do I need to learn my times tables?”
“I just don’t understand how people can enjoy solving equations”
The time has come to put a stop to this. Even if you don’t like math, nobody can deny its importance in today’s society.
Not only is math essential to scientists, doctors and astronauts, but it also plays a crucial role in our day to day lives.
The science of mathematics applies to the clouds; the radiance of starlight nourishes the rose; no thinker will dare say that the scent of hawthorn is valueless to the constellations... - Victor Hugo
We are formally introduced to the subject in school, where learning is mostly theoretical. However, throughout our lives we begin to appreciate that mathematics is with us from crib to coffin, having significance in everything from visiting the shops to playing sports.
Learning Math from an Early Age
It’s difficult to know what’s going on in the heads of young babies when they only communicate through facial expressions and noises.
Whilst their language acquisition is still in its early days, babies use their sight to take in their surroundings. Little by little, their observations and experiments help infants found an understanding of the world.
Thanks to new research on the cognitive development of children, we know a lot more about their learning abilities.
When it comes to math, the capacity of children to make sense of their surroundings is astounding. Studies led by Dr Elizabeth S. Spelke at Harvard University showed that at the age of 6 months, babies are able to:
- Visually estimate quantities
- Recognize a difference between two representations of numbers
- Babies who pay more attention to numbers at a young age are more likely to have less difficulty learning the subject in their school years
In their first two years, toddlers learn math skills to hone their number sense and estimation skills. Whilst they are learning to walk and talk, toddlers begin to put words to the simple mathematical concepts they have been noticing.
Encouraging infants and helping them show interest in numbers is proven to be beneficial.
In 1980, pediatrician Hallam Hurt from Philadelphia discovered that children who receive more attention at home have a higher IQ in general.
The developmental benefits of introducing children to numbers are exactly why children should be introduced to math concepts such as geometry and arithmetic.
The Importance of Number Discovery for Children
Throughout our academic careers, math is an essential part of the national curriculum and school syllabus.
From nursery school, children are taught through methods which are adapted to their age. However, their age is not a reason to shield them from mathematics.
Children learn about the fundamentals of math through playing games which let them:
- Get to know how numbers work (for example, spotting the hundreds, tens and digits)
- Gain an appreciation for the applications of math
- Explore how numbers relate to each other
From primary school, the math syllabus is split into 3 main topics:
- Numbers and calculation
- Scales and measures
- Geometry
Mastery of the notions learnt at primary school means less difficulty with math at a higher level.
Math lessons encourage children to think logically and develop reasoning skills which will serve them throughout their adult lives.
Mental arithmetic is equally as important as it allows children to form links between numbers and understand how they work.
For this reason, it is critical that teaching is adapted to the age of each student and that they have the academic support they need to develop the right study skills.
Math can seem abstract and overly complex when no link is made with its uses in the real world, and this is where many comprehension problems stem from.
But rest assured that as a parent, it’s easy to support your child in their math education. Keep in mind that concrete examples of real-life applications of math help your child get to grips with a topic through visualization, which will also help them remember what they have learnt.
By mastering the basics, students prepare themselves to overcome any difficulties in the future, particularly once subjects become more specialised and they begin learning physics, for example.
Check for a Calgary math tutor here on Superprof.
Why Math is Important in Finance
Students all over the Canada breathe a sigh of relief once they graduate, waving farewell to math lessons.
However, the reality is that no one is ever really finished with math!
Throughout your life, even if you don’t use trigonometry, differential equations or fractions on a daily basis, math is always there – particularly when it comes to budgeting!
Of course, there is software available to help you with this, but even in an Excel spreadsheet, if you don’t know how to create formulae, you won’t get very far!
So, in which aspects of adult life does math feature?
- Everyday budgeting: Knowing how to plan your spending in advance and make decisions about how to spend and save your money
- Long-term financial projects: Such as taking out a loan or buying a property where you have to compare and plan for the future.
- Taxes: Filling out your tax return correctly is incredibly important. Being able to trace your earnings can help you find out what how much tax you should be paying and what you’re entitled to.
- Starting a business: Any entrepreneur must have specific skills such as budgeting and forecasting to be able to adequately manage their business.
- Understanding the Global Economy: Some say money makes the world go around. Scholarships, finance, economic policy, the list goes on. Behind the scenes of the financial workings of our society are people using math to plan and analyse.
If you find yourself in difficulty when it comes to your math skills, why not take some refresher lessons with a math tutor to help you in your day-to-day life?
Discover various math tutor Vancouver today on Superprof.
How can Math Help You Manage Your Money?
It’s a simple fact that being good at math can help when it comes to understanding your income and expenditure.
Being able to mathematically follow your money can give you peace of mind and know when there is a problem. A good knowledge of math means that you’ll be able to keep track and minimize the risk of financial issues.
Math can also help people control their gambling addictions! A polytechnic school in Milan has launched a training programme with a view to help addicts understand winning probabilities so they can evaluate the risks they take.
Find some math courses here on Superprof.
The Relationship Between Math and Sport
Even sport depends on math!
Whether it’s amateur or elite sport, math can make all the difference when it comes to improving performance.
When math and new technologies make it possible to develop new performance analysis tools, athletes can focus their training on specific points for improvement.
In high-level and elite sport, performance analysis tools allow for hundreds of aspects of data to be analysed in real time, including:
- Heart rate
- Muscle strength
- Position on a pitch
- Speed
- Level of fatigue
Sports trackers can be found in t-shirts, caps, and even rackets! The performance of athletes is scientifically analysed so they can get personalised training recommendations.
This kind of analysis can help athletes to:
- Go a few centimetres further
- Avoid injury
- Optimize the recovery period
- Improve technique
In recent years, mathematicians have also begun to focus on specific problems, looking at techniques scientifically to help athletes achieve optimum performance on a given day.
- What is the ideal trajectory?
- Is coordinating strokes the most efficient way to row?
- Which forces act on an air-born shot put?
Sports scientists are always coming up with things to analyse. Solving problems offers new perspectives for athletes who feel they have hit a plateau or need something to focus on to improve their technique.
When mathematics comes into play, people tend to be disinterested. Since new roads for athlete advancement have been established, new records are being set.
- In the 2012 Olympics in London, 32 world records were broken
- At the 2014 Football World Cup, the German team trained with technology which analysed the performance of rival teams – and it must have worked as they became winners!
In the beginning, they were reserved for high-level sport, but now analysis tools are within reach for everyone. Amateur sports enthusiasts now have access to these new technologies which are not just gadgets, but performance tools.
Many people refer to mathematics as the 'major subject.' This is because it is one subject students always experience difficulty in understanding. Meanwhile, math is an important subject that everyday life revolves around. It is also crucial for students to pass their math tests and exams.
It is compulsory for students from grades 1 to 10 to take math courses and pass them. Therefore, it can be depressing for students who find the subject tough to understand or those who can't seem to find their way around it. There is no shame in asking for extra help to pass their math courses.
Find algebra courses here on Superprof.
Why Do Most Students Fail Mathematics?
Nobody in the world was born with any special math skills; they had to learn the subject. Due to this, many students should pass the subject easily, but the reverse seems to be the case. Here are some common reasons why many students fail math courses.
- Student's attitude and perceptions towards math subjects
Many students have a negative attitude towards math courses, and that's why they fail. Because of others' experiences or their past experiences, they believe math is impossible to learn. A student with a negative perception and attitude towards math will always perform poorly in it.
- Self-doubt
Another common reason why students fail math is because of self-doubt. Self-doubt can make a student perform poorly during math exams or even give up taking the test or exam. If attention isn't paid to such students, this self-doubt will never go away.
- Poor mathematical foundation
Mathematics will remain a tough nut to crack for students if they have little or no knowledge of the basics. Students can only develop a connection with math if they are familiar with it. Without adequate knowledge of the basics, students will fear and despise math courses.
- Teaching and practice methods
Learning mathematics can be easy if taught the right way. It should be taught in a way that students can comprehend and refer to after class. Ideally, real-life events, common things, and situations should be used to make math easy. If the teaching method isn't difficult to grasp, students will learn how to add, subtract, divide, and multiply easily.
- Teacher to student ratio
A class of 20 students to 1 math teacher is improper and can define how students understand math. Every student needs extra attention in mathematics courses, and a conventional teacher can't give that. Not only can these imbalance ratios affect students negatively, but they can also wear the teacher out.
- Classroom factor
The classroom factor can define how students in the classroom comprehend the subject. No two students' strengths and ability to understand are the same. Most times, students are taught generally without special attention to those who may be deficient.
Find online math courses here on Superprof.
Why Are Math Courses Important for Students?
It is very common for students to ask why they should study mathematics or its importance to them. Math is a subject that is needed in our everyday interaction. We all need some basic knowledge of one mathematical expression or the other to manage our business or life often. For some, these math courses will create a foundation for advanced knowledge.
First, mathematical knowledge is applicable and useful in everyday life. It applies to every career choice you make as a student, even if you choose to be a chef. It helps you tell time, manage your finances, and makes you a better chef. Other reasons why math courses are important for students include;
- Math help you develop creative and analytical skills, which are excellent for your brain
- Your problem-solving skills can get better and advanced by studying math.
- Making great career options and decisions is easy with math knowledge
- Technological changes are happening rapidly; math can help you adapt easily to these changes.
- It can help you calculate calories and tips easily.
Math is the backbone of every study in high school. Source: Pexels
What Are the Most Important Math Topics for Kids?
Math for kids lays the foundation to a life of learning more complex math skills and understanding the subject. Children learn a lot of new concepts, skills and develop their mathematical abilities at different stages. Here are the topics students cover in different stages of learning;
Math topics students learn in prep and kindergarten include;
- Counting
- Addition and subtraction
- Geometry
- Measurement and Data
The basic math skills these topics help students develop are learning to add by counting the fingers, identifying the larger of two numbers, and recognizing numbers 1 to 20. Students begin to understand basic time concepts, like morning and evening or days of the week. Also, they understand the meaning of words used in mathematical expressions.
Major math topics students learn in Grade 1-2 include;
- Addition and subtraction
- Number sense
- Measurement and Data
- Geometry
These topics help students develop skills such as; Predicting what comes next in a pattern and mastering the ability to create their pattern. They also learn the names of shapes and the difference between two and three-dimensional shapes, counting, and writing numerals 0 to 100. Others are, learning the words for numbers one to twenty and carrying out basic addition and subtraction of 1 to 20.
Important math Topics students learn in Grade 3-4 include;
- Multiplication and division
- Fractions
- Measurement and Data
- Geometry
Kids begin to learn more advanced and complex methods for these topics and gain skills. These skills are working with money, doing addition and subtraction with regrouping. Also, they learn to create a number sentence or equation from a word problem using paper and pencil to work out math problems.
Math topics students learn in Grade 5-6 include;
- Number system
- Ratios
- Expression and Equations
- Geometry
The advanced skills students learn in these grades help them to apply math concepts to the real world. Writing and comparing fractions and decimals and learning to put them in order on a number line is always what you learn from a math class. Kids start two and three-digit multiplication, complete long division, with or without remainders, and keep track of these numbers. They learn and practice using more than one way to solve problems.
Find waterloo math courses here on Superprof.
How Can Kids Learn Math Online?
The world has become digital, and there are so many fun ways students can learn math online. From preschool to high school, students can learn math online using resources like games, puzzles, practice tests, tasks, and textbooks.
There are so many reputable sites like Superprof where students can take math courses. Also, students can benefit from self-learning by using math resources available on the platform.
Can You Hire a Tutor for High School Math?
It's amazing that with new technology and sites such as Superprof, you can hire a math tutor at your convenience. On Superprof, you can hire a tutor for high school math that is close to your home. With your mobile phone and access to the internet, Superprof is the ideal site to learn mathematics at your pace and flexibility.
Students who find it difficult to understand math or learning in the general classroom can find a tutor to meet their needs.
Is Learning Math Online Recommended for High School Students?
Math teaching online is highly recommended for high school students in Canada, especially those who don't have the luxury of time to show up in person. Other benefits of math teaching online for high school students include;
- Students have the flexibility to learn math at their convenience
- Students can be more comfortable and focused on their tutor while learning
- Online learning requires a lesser budget as miscellaneous like transportation and learning space are reduced
- Information and resources are available online, so students can always refer to them whenever needed.
- Students can get the personalized attention they require to learn math topics and concepts efficiently.
- Online teaching helps students access advanced math courses with ease.
What Should You Consider When Choosing a Math Tutor?
Most people think the hardest part of getting math help is getting a math tutor. Soon, they realize that the hardest part is choosing the right math tutor. According to Superprof, here are some factors to consider when choosing a math tutor.
- Why do you need a math tutor?
The biggest pain point is realizing your need for a math tutor. Is it to help you with math homework, understand basic mathematics or learn advanced math? Knowing the answer to this will help you choose the right tutor.
- Knowing your math problem
Understanding the cause of your math problem will help you choose a tutor that can provide help tailored to meet your specific need.
- Know the right online website to work with
So many online tutoring websites are gaining much online presence on the internet, and it can get confusing knowing which is the best site. However, Superprof is your best bet when it comes to choosing the right math tutor online or getting the right help.
- Basic qualities of the tutor
A good math tutor with the right teaching method is worth more than thousands of math lessons. A good math tutor should have adequate knowledge of math, experience, the best teaching strategies, and be relatable.
In conclusion, Superprof is your go-to website when it comes to getting math help in Canada. Online learning and finding the right math tutor are easy, accessible, and cost-effective when choosing a tutor from Superprof.
And we have math to thank!
Did you like this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
