Working with even basic math problems can be troubling for some people, and this condition will only grow worse as they move into more and more advanced concepts and problems. Since math is an important part of education and even life, the ability to think of it in a positive light is an important step in learning math successfully. Often, one bad experience can overshadow the rest of your math education, but it does not have to when you have the tools you need to be successful.
The Power of Positive Thinking
Math can be challenging, but when you see a problem do you look at is as a challenge that you can overcome, or an insurmountable obstacle in your path to success? For many people, the idea of math is one that is associated with insurmountable obstacles, which simply must be dealt with in order to move on educationally.
The simple facts show that anyone who looks at math in a more positive way is more likely to study more, and use that study time in a more productive manner. The way that you think about math will either perpetuate or limit your success in the subject, making subliminal messages an excellent way to change the way you see math to help you be more positive and successful in the future.
How to Use Subliminal Messages
Subliminal messages are a great tool that you can use to change your perspective on math. You can use a subliminal CD to help you make the most of the study time you have. You may notice that you begin looking forward to math class rather than dreading it, or that you are opening your math book more often to catch up on some concepts that you didn’t fully understand in class, and your general focus and concentration, and ability to retain the information will improve.
By: Dan Bainbridge
Posts Tagged ‘Math Class’
Math Puzzles
March 29th, 2010
Most of the kids in school dread a math test. I know many students who would rather prefer to get their cavities filled then take a math test in school. But why is that? Why do students fear this subject so much? Well, the reason is more of psychological then academic. Kids love to study when they are having fun. They also like to study subjects which come easy to them and in most schools; math is the subject that doesn’t come in any of these two categories.
Therefore, it is very important to make math fun for the students. Doesn’t matter if you are a parent or a teacher, it is very important to hold the child’s attention and make him have fun with it. This is where math puzzles are a great help.
Math puzzles don’t only make learning and teaching math interesting, but it also motivates children to do better in other subjects as well. Most children who would rather play a computer game then go to a math class, so why not mix these two together?
You can provide the child with various maths puzzles which he can play and practice the fields he is weak at. Math puzzles don’t teach students anything new, but they help strengthen their basic concepts and build a solid foundation for their future classes. These puzzles help teachers to teach the weaker students in class. For example, if some students in a class are not clear with some basic concepts of math like subtraction or addition, then in order to make the catch up with the rest of the class the teacher will need to give them more attention. But this will make the rest of the class. But if the teacher provides the weaker students with some quick learning math puzzles, they can learn without wasting class’ time.
Math puzzles also instill the urge to study and learn independently. Instead of being dependent on somebody else’s attention to study, math puzzles give the students freedom to work on their own. This aspect of such puzzles also helps kids who are shy or feel embarrassed to discuss their weaknesses in public.
But don’t think that math puzzles are only for weak students. You can also use math puzzles for students who are good at it. These puzzles work as a great practice tool and also a confidence booster. While shopping for math puzzles, you should first decide on which type of puzzle you would like to provide the child with. There is a wide range of math puzzles like arcade style, puzzle style and normal question answer style games.
You can also buy games which include favorite cartoon or movie characters of the child. Make sure that the puzzles hold some element of interest for the child as he will only practice it if he feels attracted towards it.
But never take these games as a substitute for a teacher or parental guidance in teaching math. Math puzzles only help students to brush up the skills they are already taught. The puzzles don’t teach students any new skills. So make sure that you are there for your child or student on his quest for learning math.
By: Derek De Bres
Math Bingo Cards
March 12th, 2010
While it’s probably true that some students more of an aptitude for math than others, it’s also true that different students have different levels of interest in the subject. Good maths teachers are therefore always on the lookout for activities and games which can encourage classroom participation by all students – not just the top math students. Ideally such activities should be fun, engaging, educational (of course), and given the financial constraints that most of today’s teachers work under – not requiring of expensive or specialist materials.
One such classroom activity that is increasingly popular with math teachers (and in fact teachers of other subjects too), is bingo. The thing about bingo is that it’s incredibly simple for students to learn and play, that it can be adapted to a variety of different topics (by printing bingo cards containing numbers, additions, subtractions, multiplication times tables, long divisions, fractions, or whatever you’re teaching), and that it’s very cheap. Obviously you do need the specialist bingo cards, but that isn’t difficult – any teacher can print them easily using his or her computer – either working using ready-made free bingo printables or by using affordable but easy-to-use bingo card printing software.
The final thing worth pointing out is that there are quite different few ways to play the game in math class. In each case, the teacher acts as bingo caller, but you can vary the game mechanics in different ways: you could (for example) print questions on the cards (and students must fill in the answers to these questions before they can tick off that item), or you could put answers on the cards (which students have to match up to questions as they are called out), or any other variation that you prefer.
By: Sunil Tanna
