If you're a person who enjoy's doing math problems on purpose please explain why?
I've never been a math person, I'm not horrible at it, I just don't like it. My Husband has a degree in Math, I'm not sure how he stayed awake in any of his classes but he finds it fascinating, so do my kids.
I have to Google everything for this new math that they use in schools now, just so I can try to help them with their homework.
So please math fans, tell me, what do you like about math? I don't mean this to be insulting, I'm just curious.
IMHO:
I love math because I have a logical mind and because math is an area where there has been no debate in my experience. You can be Christian, atheist, Hindu, or pagan: The laws of math are the same, and the conclusions are not debatable once you accept the axioms.
Math allows clear argument without talking past each other and arguing over words.
There is a beauty in math that one can come to appreciate, a real esthetic experience.
I'm not sure what the "new math" is. I recall a "new math" back in the 1970's. Perhaps you refer to computer type math, Boolean Algebra and the like? What is fascinating is that old Boole (1854) invented this math system way before there were computers, a system that I think had no practical application! But when computers came along, it was made for them.
No one should be "allowed" to proclaim Bible interpretation or theology unless that person can get an A in Plane Geometry (essentially a course in logic) or in symbolic logic. As persons who cannot do those, do not have a logical mind.
I ran a private school for many years which went up through 12th grade. The vast majority of students that I got, whether from public or private school, had
no math skills beyond counting. They could not add or subtract (without fingers or calculator), multiply, divide or much else. Every student I got with Algebra listed on his transcript, could not pass even the first unit of 1st year algebra when I tested him.
I can assess a child's math skills usually in ~ 1 minute. I just ask them 3 questions. Here they are, and here are the rules:
When I ask you a question, you must just give the one-word answer immediately without hesitation.
You many not repeat the question or ask me anything about it.
If I ask, Who discovered American, you must answer "Columbus," not "Who discovered America was Columbus."
Are you ready? Here goes:
1) 0 + 0 is ___.
Person answers 0.
2) 2 + 2 is ___.
Person answers 4.
3) 7 + 8 is ___.
Person freezes and cannot answer! Using fingers is a flunk.
So, most children today apparently never learned their addition combinations in the first grade or ever. And thus they have been lost in math ever since. My theory is that the present generation has both parents working and no one drilling the kids on combinations at home, and that with a large number of students (with disorder in the class), teachers do not teach the combinations -- maybe elementary teachers themselves never learned them? My theory is that if the parents do not see that their kids learn the add & subtract combinations, they will likely never learn them.
Having assessed most students that quickly, I began teaching them the combinations by various means, one of which is playing Monopoly with special dice that go up to 9 on each die (also computer programs, flash cards and even repetitive copying).
After that, I ran a program to make sure that the children could add (carry), subtract (borrow), multiply, and divide (long and short), followed by percents, and jr high geometry; then into algebra.
Working math problems can bring the same pleasure as working puzzles, but if one never learned the basics, how is one going to be anything but frustrated at math?
I am surprised to read about homework. I think that today only a small percent of children do homework.
There is nothing insulting about your question. We all have different likes and dislikes, different natural and spiritual gifts. I do think it well to let children pursue their own interests somewhat. So if your kid likes butterflies, let them study butterflies. I had a student who liked to breed pit bull dogs, so I had him study a book about pit bull dogs.
I wonder if there is any intersection at all between your personal likes and math?
. Learning and Education aren't really the same thing IMO
