How Does Your Student Eat Pi?

To some kids, math is like a pie in the face:

For others, it's completely enjoyable:

Have you ever noticed that some minds seem to absorb math concepts (maybe, even savor them) while other minds introduced to the same math concepts become, well, a total mess? What's the difference? And how can you ensure your child experience success? According to Miles Kimball, from the University of Colorado, the main indicator is preparation. He explains,

• "Different kids with different levels of math preparation come into a math class. Some of these kids have parents who have drilled them on math from a young age, while others never had that kind of parental input."
• "On the first few tests, the well-prepared kids get perfect scores, while the unprepared kids get only what they could figure out by winging it."
• "The unprepared kids, not realizing that the top scorers were well-prepared, assumed that genetic ability was what determined the performance differences. Deciding that they "just aren't math people", they don't try hard in future classes and fall further behind."
• "The well-prepared kids, not realizing that the other students were simply unprepared, assume that they are "math people" and work hard in the future, cementing their advantage.   

This unhappy narrative unfolds again and again throughout math classrooms around the world. However, since preparation is the key, parents do have a lot of control over the outcome of their child's math education. It's a good idea if parents practice math with their students outside the classroom. In the grocery store, ask them to figure out the price of four cans of tuna fish. In the toy shop, ask them to calculate the price of a discounted toy and how long it will take to save up their allowance to buy it.

At Mathnasium of Red Deer, we are ready to help your child prepare for a successful math education. A current 5th grade Mathnasium client says, "I never thought I could do math. Now I know better." At Mathnasium of Red Deer, we ensure your student enjoys their math experience, bite by bite.