6th Grade Math Illustrative Mathematics 6 Answer Key Unit 1 Lesson 15 3 4 Khan Academy 8 5 2

Previous

Next

Published at Thursday, December 10th, 2020 - 09:26:25 AM. 6th Grade Math. By Beryl Ford.

Playing is a great way to learn math. I like miniature golf and billiards for learning about angles and force. Of course this may sound like Physics, Newtons Law of Relativity. And it is, but there is also no better way to learn geometry and algebra than with a practical application. What could be more practical than learning as you play? Wow, heres another real life example for learning math. I like playing games. You name it; board games, card games, strategy games. If it challenges me and tests my intellect and problem solving capabilities, I like it. Games like Nim, checkers, chess, mancala, Stratego, Battleship, Risk, etc. help develop logic sequences and strategy. Games like Uno, Skip-bo, Set, Rummikub helps children develop their ability to see patterns. Games like cribbage, gin rummy, Scrabble actually help children practice addition and multiplication.

I know this statement is shocking. Some of you may feel that I have announced the end of the civilization as we know it. How in the world will people learn math without the latest and greatest math textbook. The answer is simple. The same way people have always learned math prior to the modern education system, by doing math as they go about their everyday lives. You may ask "Is that possible?" "Would it work?" I believe so. Its the reason I made this statement when I was asked if my new book, "Math is Childs Play" was going to be a Math Textbook. But in all fairness, lets look at both sides, school math versus everyday math. First lets look at school math. I have been studying of late the topic of Math Anxiety. Increasing number of people profess to hate math, to be no good at math, to be anxious about doing basic math. These same people were taught math in our public schools. When did this situation of math anxiety start? Who knows for sure? But whats significant is that its increasing, not decreasing. Its increasing despite the modern education system, despite New Math and the latest teaching methods, despite all the money and energy that has been put towards the problem. Just for the record, I found a book "Mathematics; A Human Endeavor" by Harold R. Jacobs copyrighted in 1970 which in its preface the author mentions the failure of New Math in the schools. A book from 1964, titled "Mathematics for Elementary Teachers" by Ralph Crouch and George Baldwin which was written to teach math to elementary teacher who found themselves expected to teach math although they had no training in math.