‘Living math’ can make subject fun
Published:Friday | March 15, 2024 | 12:10 AMAsha Wilks/Gleaner Writer
Students of the Seaward Primary and Infant School were challenged yesterday to overcome their fear of mathematics.
In commemoration of International Day of Mathematics, which was observed on March 14, the school aimed to showcase the importance of mathematics in daily life while also highlighting how useful it will be in the future for children as they grow older.
Speaking with The Gleaner, Ricardo Gayle, president of the mathematics committee at the institution, stated that when teachers communicated with the students, the majority of them indicated that they disliked or are frightened by mathematics.
“So we want them to know that maths is in everyday life and that maths can be fun,” he said.
The committee, he continued, was established for this purpose and to make students more aware of mathematics and how to effectively apply it outside of a school environment.
He went on to say that in order to ensure that math is taught in an interesting and engaging fashion to pupils, teachers must be able to effectively convey mathematical concepts to their students through a “new way of teaching”.
“There are [clever] ways of doing it, so it’s all about bringing across that and then the children will love it,” Gayle said.
According to Tansea Maitland Tomlin, vice-president of the mathematics committee, it was made clear that some parents, likewise, were terrified of math and that this would undoubtedly have an impact on the pupils’ attitudes and mindset towards the subject.
“Learning takes place at home, and if the mother or the parents have a poor concept towards maths, then you know that child is going to develop a phobia ... and we’re seeing it materialise in the children’s schoolwork at this time. They say, ‘Miss, my parent cannot do maths so I don’t see the need to do it because they are surviving, hence I can survive also’,” she shared.
Guest speaker Kimesha Francis, education officer at the Ministry of Education and Youth, stated that all children need to develop a love for mathematics.
LOVE-ing MATH
Francis used the acronym L.O.V.E. to describe math as “life”, “outstanding”, “versatile”, and “entertaining”.
She went on to explain that “living math” was a concept that was applied on a daily basis and could be found in the simplest of duties like assisting with time management and measuring when preparing tasty meals or accompanying you when visiting the grocery store so that you can compare prices to find the best deals.
Math, she said, was “outstanding” because it was one of those subjects that, if you performed well in school, made you respected as an outstanding pupil.
Francis went on to say that math was also versatile since it helps children become more focused and competent in the classroom by stimulating their minds from an early age.
Lastly, she added, math was entertaining because kids could utilise the math skills they learned during games they played.
She urged parents and other adults to take advantage of every chance presented to engage their children in these “math-lived experiences”.
“I have a son now who is 10, and he calculates numbers faster than I do. Why? [Because] he was fully engaged in math every step of the way. You going to supermarket, carry them (kids). You’re doing a project, involve them in the discussion. We have too many opportunities for math to be a teaching experience, not just a classroom experience, for us to have children who don’t love math,” she said.
This year’s theme for International Day of Mathematics was ‘Playing with Math’.
The school aimed to impart to pupils the idea that learning can become an exciting journey through mathematics, Maitland Tomlin said.
She outlined that the day’s events included a math concert, where administrators and students from kindergarten through to sixth grade demonstrated math in a variety of approaches, including dance, comedy, storytelling, and technology.
Also, there were interactive gaming sessions with teachers and students and a math quiz relay competition.
In the closing moments, there was a poster and jingle competition followed by an awards ceremony for the most outstanding teams.