Modern Teaching Methods.

Hi

The Pretendies are doing online schooling.

Mum is very good, except for Maths.

I have been trying to help them with the Maths.

Jacob is special needs and Nadi is in Year 5.

I am a scientist, I can do complex maths in my head.

I simply do not understand the modern way of teaching Maths.

Re: Modern Teaching Methods.

I don't know how they teach maths these days, but we were taught both maths and mental arithmetic which has stood me in good stead ever since, particularly in my working life as a builder.

I can still recite the times table and I can still do maths in my head which I would struggle to explain on paper! One of my very few regrets in life is not carrying on with mathematics at a higher level, because the subject still fascinates me today.

Re: Modern Teaching Methods.

Hi

Spot on Barry.

Maths was practical.

Builders and others need it.

It is a lost cause to me now.

You could dig a trench and know how much concrete it needs for the foundations.

All in your head.

This is all now gone, they need a calculator.

Re: Modern Teaching Methods.

Contrary to popular belief, not everyone is able to learn tables by heart and recognise and use basic number facts/properties. Nor are they able to estimate lengths nor weights.

You, and a fair few could and can. But, you'll no doubt be surprised to hear, many can't.

The fact that you can't understand what, why nor how to use other more complex aspects of maths is an indication of just how little you remember.

Re: Modern Teaching Methods.

Funny thing is, not many people will admit to being hopeless at English, but quite a few will will admit to being poor at maths,
I include myself in this, at my school, if you didn’t understand something you were too frightened to ask, for fear of ridicule from your classmates, the teachers would explain something as if they were talking to another maths teacher, and would quickly lose patience if you couldn’t get it, it was only later that I could understand maths better, I try and simplify the problem and break it down so I can understand, not sure if this is the correct way, but it works for me..

Re: Modern Teaching Methods.

A common situation. But perhaps understandable if one considers a parallel situation of asking a French teacher to explain something. They will speak in terms of French.

This is precisely the correct way!!

Re: Modern Teaching Methods.

I always think, people are usually better at one of the subjects rather than both subjects.
At school, I loved English as l love words but l disliked Maths, especially Algebra, Geometry and Logarithms. I know it sounds sexist but l always felt Maths was a male subject!

I used to admire anyone who worked in a pub when they had to add up a round of drinks in their head. I’d have still been there at the end of the night trying to add up the first round of drinks l had sold!

Re: Modern Teaching Methods.

I was always artistic and never good at maths. I don't think the two mix very well. The only thing I do remember is my times table which we were taught at primary school. We recited it every morning for five years.

Re: Modern Teaching Methods.

I enjoyed maths at school until we reached the trigonometry level with sines, cosines and tangents. I enjoyed using a slide rule at the beginning but it wasn’t long before everything became too complicated for my brain. Hence, I didn’t take it in my GCE exams.

Even my own children’s Maths homework 30 years ago was totally different to how mine was. When I tried to explain to them how to work something out, all I got was “Mum, we don’t do it like that at school now”

Re: Modern Teaching Methods.

Part of the problem is that maths (like many other subjects) is taught at primary (and, in some cases the first year at secondary) by people who have their own negative fears and/or ineptitude for the subject. Thus the cycle repeats itself, with negative affirmations producing negative outcomes.

If one doesn't have an insight into something, then one is highly unlikely to be able to deviate from one's own conceptual understanding and try different techniques and approaches.

Case in point - I currently tutor a year 6 boy and a year 7 girl who have different approaches/thought processes to the "one size fits all" methods taught by their school. They didn't do well in tests. I am able to understand their off kilter techniques, help make the necessary tweaks and build their confidence. Just like any specialist in their field. They now do very well in tests!!