{"id":13555,"date":"2016-04-05T08:43:15","date_gmt":"2016-04-05T06:43:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/responsive.jozikids.co.za\/zaparents\/?p=13555"},"modified":"2022-06-21T10:24:43","modified_gmt":"2022-06-21T08:24:43","slug":"learn-maths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/blog\/education\/maths\/learn-maths\/","title":{"rendered":"Anyone can learn Maths"},"content":{"rendered":"

When we were growing up, it seemed the world was divided into people who were \u2018good at maths\u2019 and those who were \u2018bad at maths\u2019. This latter group often hated and feared the subject, and felt there was little or nothing they could do about their apparent inability \u2013 it was just bad luck.<\/p>\r\n

Researchers into maths education are now finding that we are all one kind of person \u2013 someone who can learn to work with mathematics, and do so well. We are all able to use the language of mathematics to describe quantities and shapes, to express problems and find solutions. Just like we can all learn to use words to communicate thoughts and feelings.<\/p>\r\n

So\u00a0we have to ask why so many children struggle with maths at school, and perform poorly? The answers to this question can take more than a blog article to fully explore, but two key findings of recent research are that:<\/p>\r\n

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  1. Fear and a sense of disempowerment blocks maths learning.<\/li>\r\n
  2. At the foundation of learning to use the language of maths lies a very solid number sense, or knowledge of numbers and how they fit together. This knowledge is developed through a physical experience of numbers.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n

    What does this mean for us as parents? Professor Jo Boaler from Standford University has put together an excellent list of 6 tips to help parents transform maths for their children. These tips relate closely to the two points above. Here are some of them, in brief.<\/p>\r\n

    Build maths confidence<\/h2>\r\n