According to Britannica Biographies, Thomas Edison was a real game changer. He was an American-born inventor who holds the world record for patented inventions: 1,093 of them to be precise. Edison is most famous for his dogged, consistent work creating the light bulb.
Sometimes while learning math, especially those discouragingly-difficult concepts, students feel demoralized. Edison himself failed nearly 1000 times in his experiments before finally achieving his success. Can you imagine all that persistence? Now that's a LOT of grit! England's Winston Churchill once said, "Success consists of going from failure to failure without any loss of enthusiasm."
Amazing things happen in the brain of a math student (or inventor, or Prime Minister, etc.) when they engage in difficult problems. Dr. Papp, writing for Harvard education, tells us: "Until the 1990's, we thought people were born with as many brain cells as they would die with. We now know that the growth of new cells, a process called Neurogenesis, occurs throughout life." This is great news because it means we have more control over what we are able to accomplish.
Dr. Papp goes on to say, "It turns out that the human brain has a great potential for something called neuronal plasticity, or in other words, being highly malleable. It appears that challenging our brains — like when we’re learning a new skill — leads to actual changes in the adult brain. It may create new connections between brain cells by changing the balance of available neurotransmitters and changing how connections are made."
So that difficult math concept your child is working on actually has merit outside of getting a good grade! The neurogenesis that is happening in your child's brain is sending a clear signal that says, "I can figure things out. I am physically and measurably changing my brain structure to conquer this problem."
Working alongside your student is their ever-present math tutor, encouraging and facilitating their growth. At Mathnasium of SW Winnipeg, we have noticed a particular student whose accomplishment deserves to be celebrated!!!
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