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Next to the monster beneath his bed, probably the other person a kid is most afraid of is his math teacher. As soon as Mr. or Ms. Math Teacher steps into the classroom, most kids feel the inevitable onset of sweaty palms and a pounding heart.
This fear is not entirely baseless, as the subject of math is all too often the waterloo of many a kid. Math is something most students find difficult to grasp. When kids don’t understand math concepts, parents consequently feel frustrated and become desperate to help their kids out.
All hope is not lost, though, as there are many instructional strategies out there which aim to push your kids along on the road to mathematical comprehension. One of these is what’s called “active engagement”.
What Active Engagement does is it replaces traditional memorization or problem solving on worksheets with practical and hands-on activities which support problem solving. It’s all about applying math concepts in real-life, everyday activities.
For instance, you can teach the concept of fractions while cooking. Kids get to read and understand fractions and measurements as they prepare the ingredients. Putting up a make believe store helps kids apply lessons on money.
If we allow our kids to explore and discover how math concepts relate to real life situations, Math will no longer be something dreadful for them. They’ll learn to embrace it as part of growing up. Eventually, this will be crucial in determining their future success.