Learning Maths: why is so hard?

Post on 07-Aug-2015

144 views 0 download

Tags:

transcript

Why Maths are so hated?

Math language● Traditional method for learn Math● Very abstract!

Maybe we start badly● “Children who are

drilled in rote arithmetic are learning skills far removed from those that enrich mathematical intuition” , http://newsoffice.mit.edu/1999/math-0512

Math not always are exact● "Down the road,

educators may look harder at the importance of developing children's number sense": ability to determine a ballpark answer rather than a specific answer, the “number sense” http://newsoffice.mit.edu/1999/math-0512

Visual learning● Three main types of learning styles: visual,

auditory, and kinesthetic● Visual learners prefer to learn from whole-

to-part, also really need to understand why they are learning something: motivation!

Be visual: what about Geometry for start?

Motivation

A friend, 27 years old: “I never have used the Maths learned in the school in real life”

Me: Well, Maths

are surrounding

us, really!

Using imagination, and getting fun

Donald in Mathmagic Land: an old comic for children … and also not so young people

Donald learn Maths are everywhere...

Maths everywhere

Maths everywhere: Architecture

Maths everywhere: design

Maths everywhere: mechanisms, machines

Maths everywhere: computers

Maths everywhere: Nature

Maths everywhere: Laws of Universe

● Universe behaves mathematically, nobody knows why ...

So, why algebraic language is important?

● For exact solution of problems

● For exact representation of the Nature's laws

Equations contains lot of exact information

But … so exactitude, is always needed?

● Perhaps we can let it for adult people who really need it

● Children don't need exact numbers

So, two approaches● Visual, imaginative approach:

better for start our Math learning

● Algebraic, numerical, exact approach: later, when mind is able to work with abstract concepts

How we can become proficient on Math

language?● Like in a

game, there are rules … lot of rules, we need know them for be able to play

All is about rules and definitions

● +·+ = + +·- = -, -·+ = -, -·- = +● a·(b + c) = a·b + a·c● (a + b) / c = a/c + b/c● a·a = a², a·a·a = a³, …● And so on ...

Constructing the Math Building, step by step

Arithmetic basic rules

Arithmetic advanced rules

Basic Algebra

Arithmetic advanced rules

Math Functions

Math in real life

Math Research

What about modern advanced calculators?● No need to learn all the rules, we

can concentrate in higher concepts

Problems resolution

● From real world we create a Math representation

● Then, we apply the rules and definitions

● We obtain an exact solution

Why Maths are so complicated?

● Not Maths per se, but Nature is complicated

Share the knowledge!● All the images of this

presentation was downloaded from www.flickr.com

● The ideas about Math learning has succesfully been applied by the author