By Justin Smith, Instructor
Most of what we've written about in past articles has been about students who aren’t excited about math, or who have skill gaps that they need filled in order to stay caught up at school. But what about students who are already proficient in math? What about the students who pick up new concepts quickly and are at the top of their class in mathematics? Mathnasium has programs for those students as well, and there are a lot of good reasons to attend Mathnasium if your student is caught up or even plowing ahead.
Have you ever had one of those magic moments when you suddenly realize not only how a math concept works, but also why it works? For example, when I was a kid, I used to organize my plastic army men into different formations, usually in grids, with clear rows and columns. At one point, I remember having 30 army men, 5 rows of 6, and realizing that those 5 rows of 6 could also be seen as 6 columns of 5. No matter which way I looked at it, there were always going to be 30 army men. And that was when I understood the commutative property of multiplication (even though I didn’t know the name, or the fact that I was doing multiplication): that 5x6 has the same product as 6x5. At Mathnasium, we strive to create those moments of understanding for all of our students, about every math concept. You can expect that your child will leave each day with a deeper understanding of math concepts that he or she already “knows,” but doesn’t necessarily know why.
Mathnasium works hard to ensure that students get more excited and passionate about math. Part of that is because of our rewards system, and part of it is because we create a fun environment to learn in. When kids are having fun, they may not even know that they’re learning. And as I’ve always noticed—anything is more fun when you’re good at it. Math works the same way. Once the concepts become ingrained, and once learning becomes fun and seemingly accidental, math itself becomes the fun activity. Students who come into Mathnasium with a good grasp on mathematical concepts leave with positive memories and a new set of skills in their knowledge toolbox.
If those reasons weren’t enough, advanced students who continue to practice and hone their skills at Mathnasium will be in an even better position to place into advanced math classes. A sharpened set of math skills means blazing through new material faster, and your advanced students will become even more advanced after weeks of practice. They grasp new concepts faster by comparing to things they’ve already learned and building upon their foundation. Students who are advanced in math think differently, and they begin to connect different forms of math together and use creative thinking to solve problems they encounter that they may not have been explicitly taught how to do.
While this article is aimed more specifically at the advanced student, all of these benefits apply to our struggling students as well. Many students who come to Mathnasium as struggling students end up becoming advanced students, placing with those other students in the advanced classes at school. We strive to make sure that this is not only a possibility, but also an achievable goal for every student. At Mathnasium, we have programs for every type of student. Whether your child is excelling, keeping pace, or catching up, we have a program to set them up for success. A broader understanding of math, excitement, & passion are just a few sessions away.
Learn more about how the Mathnasium Method builds confidence and makes math fun and easy to learn.
Schedule a FREE math skills assessment for your child.
(818) 696-1060
