Fun Math Equals Better Student Participation

We are glad to have Mr Henry Thompson write a Math article on our blog. 🙂

Guest post by Henry Thompson of DegreeJungle.com:

One significant obstacle that students face when trying to understanding mathematics is that they devote a great deal of their energy to NOT enjoying themselves. Think about it; reading literature is satisfying, if the story is carefully chosen. Holding a conversation about up-to-date events in History, while studying critical analysis, is enjoyable. But, even for math teachers, working out a complex algebraic equation is simply not exciting.

Students rely on their professors to make mathematics convenient and more effortlessly appreciated. Thus, it makes good sense for educators to insert some sort of enjoyment into their math lessons as frequently as possible; particularly, if the diversion includes a little academic theory.

Today’s professors feel that great math education objectives should not only “address the program of study,” but should also present learners with new ways to discover life through the aperture of mathematics.

For this reason, groundbreaking educators around the globe have altered their approach to math education by leaving behind unimportant and boring learning objectives and implementing applicable and appealing math learning inside the classroom.

Yesteryear’s Math Programs Are Uninspiring

If teachers recall their pedagogic theories from college, they’ll remember that many lesson plans contained mathematical calculations at the hub of their programs.

Additionally, the framework in most old-school math textbooks contains terribly-fashioned word problems. It appears that a few textbook publishers hold fundamental challenges in developing math problems that are linked to real life.

Outdated textbooks only pay attention to computational formats as well, leaving out the reasoning that is produced behind the scenes, which is needed to solve math problems.

The folks at Degree Jungle recently talked to some math educators, who located their teaching credential programs through the infamous search engine, to find out what instructors in the twenty-first century should look for when analyzing conventionally-structured math programs.

A Brand-New Strategy for Teaching

A large number of math educators, today, recommend professors seek math learning-systems that guarantee relevancy, instead of those which put math calculations at the center of study; lessons that contain “real-life” relevance will most certainly motivate students to engage more.

The planet contains plenty of fascinating mathematic applications. A tree’s design is a consequence of fractional limb patterns. A tiny shellfish’s cask coils in an exquisite and attractive mathematical design. Profound mathematics dwells in the massive framework of the cosmos. Moreover, all things that folks explore throughout the day contain some sort of mathematical design.

Easy Tips for Applying Mathematics to the Real-World

Below are a handful of tips that educators can work with to help put real-world situations inside their educational math programs:

• Using images of mathematical concepts calls for a little homework and some creativity to execute inside a lesson plan.

• Shopping advertisements present sufficient opportunities to study percentages.

• Instead of a worksheet that explains how to spend money, provide students with some real coins to count, or let them visit to the school store.

• Cooking incorporates proportions and divisions.

Resources for Improving Engagement

Although adding real-world scenarios to math problems plays a vital part in ensuring an entertaining lesson, it is not the only unique educational approach for teaching math. There are countless mathematical strategies short of “real-life” applicability that are, nevertheless, exceptionally appealing.

• Projecteuler.net delivers a collection of serious mathematical-CIS problems that will demand much more than just mathematical awareness to solve.

• Fullerton IV Elementary School’s, Integers Across Disciplines, proposes another strategy. Educators there have developed tasks that force students to visit challenging mathematical problems and to discover that math demands practice and patience.

• Euler’s graph theory using geography assists students in building mathematical tolerance and in discovering ways to conquer frustration. As an included reward, learners will understand that not all math problems have solutions.