Q: Tell me about a time when having math skills came in handy
A: M: I received math credits from my SAT and started as a sophomore back in the days when you couldn't get college credit in high school. After college, I taught 6-12 for 30 years.
D: I love to cook. Math skills are very handy when trying to make a larger quantity of something. Sometimes, I come across a recipe, and I will need to double or even quadruple it. Being able to add and multiply fractions helps with needing multiple 2/3 cups; and being able to convert tablespoons to cups makes things go so much smoother.
Q: Tell me about a memory you have of learning math
A: M: I remember writing my multiplication facts until I memorized them, then taking a test on them. That was in 3rd grade in the 70s. I never had a problem with knowing my facts. Haha
D: When I was in elementary school, I remember we would have a competition with multiplication. One student would stand behind the chair of another student, and the teacher would yell a multiplication problem. The student who got it correct first would then move behind the chair of the next student. It was fun and exciting to see how far away you could get from your original seat. It helped us to try hard to get the answer right and motivated us to work harder to learn our multiplication facts.
Q: What are some of the benefits of the Mathnasium Method?
A: M: I love the "smart" way. Using what you know and going from there. For example, up to and adding 10, or if adding 9 then you add 10 subtract 1.
D: The Mathnasium Method helps extend knowledge to gain a better understanding of why we can do various methods to all get to the same answer and how it works. The Mathnasium Method shows quicker and more efficient ways that are easy to understand.
Q: What could Mathnasium have helped you with when you were a student?
A: M: All the number sense. I learned how to do it, but never really thought it through. To me, adding 9 meant add 9. I never put together that it's the same thing as adding 10 then subtracting 1. I'm not really sure why I never thought of it like that or why none of my teachers pointed it out, but these number sense ideas sure would have been helpful, and I feel I would've been receptive to them. It's possible more of my classmates would've been "better at math".
D: I was always pretty good at math, but Mathnasium would have helped me better understand my thought process or why certain methods worked. Although I may have arrived at the answer, sometimes I wasn’t sure how exactly I got there. Mathnasium promotes understanding rather than just memorizing.
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