Q1: Why is it important for students to continue learning math over the summer?
A1: According to the science of Ebbinghaus' Forgetting Curve, most people lose about half of what they learned that day just by the time they wake up the next morning. By the end of the week, almost 90% of knowledge is lost. Imagine how much math knowledge is lost by not practicing math all summer long! Distributed, repeated practice over multiple days/weeks can help prevent this loss of knowledge when learning new skills. Since math builds on itself, it is so important that students have those skills fresh in their minds so they are ready to evolve them when the next school year begins!
Q2: How does your center help prevent summer learning loss?
A2: At the Mathnasium of Mukilteo, we take a few measures to set students up for success with distributed practice. One way we do this is by encouraging our families to set up appointments throughout the month. This way, learning can take place over multiple days/weeks/months so students have plenty of time to remember and strengthen that knowledge. Another element of this is how the Mathnasium curriculum is set up. Our prescriptive units each tackle one topic at a time, and multiple are shuffled together to distribute that practice out over a few weeks. Shuffled in with the prescriptive unit, we also have a part of our curriculum called the Work-Out Book. The Work-Out Book is designed to address a variety of grade-level topics to reinforce general knowledge, create repetition in topics, and drive critical-thinking and reasoning skills.
Q3: How can math skills help students in real-life situations like saving money or budgeting?
A3: Kids today no longer grow up in a cash-based society. Even a couple decades ago, children were used to seeing money physically saved, spent, and exchanged for coins on a daily basis. I remember visiting a bank on a school trip and having them teach us what balancing a checkbook meant, calculating the various expenses you'd taken from your account versus the money you had deposited. Almost all financial decisions we make now are digital, and all children see is the swiping of a card without a concept of the financial implications. Throughout childhood, we must set up many important financial skills: finding appropriate estimations, making change, identifying coins, etc. These day-to-day experiences emphasize the importance of these specific skills and broader math education, as well as, giving continual reinforcement to master and maintain these skills.
Visit our website if you want to have strong math skills this summer!
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