How to make Maths come alive?
Like father like son. I hope to have an ideal perspective on Maths so that Tze Yu can receive a healthy influence from me.
Maths is not about getting full marks
I usually topped in Maths in my school days. So getting full marks was a definite possibility. But if our motivation comes from the paper chase, then we will likely decrease our liking for Maths. The time when I derived the greatest joy from Maths as a child was when I was playing games like poker cards, Othello, tangram, mahjong, etc. I used Maths to solve game problems and the skill set is transferable in solving real life problems. Real life application is the goal, not full marks.
Fun with Geometry
Maths is not a 40-minute lesson in the school
It is therefore essential to not allow our children’s mindset to treat Maths like a subject that only visit them during class lesson. We cannot keep Maths in tiny slots of 40-minute or 2-hour. Maths is too powerful to be restricted because it is active and alive. Maths is everywhere!
Maths is everywhere
Maths can be found in the 9 major spheres of our daily lives from A to I. As parents, we should maximise the teachable moments whenever we are with our children.
Arts & entertainment
Business
Community
Defence
Education
Family
Government
Healthcare
International settings
A simple interview with Tze Yu before he reads the above article
What is Mathematics?
Son: Mathematics is like numbers, logic, strategy.
Where can you find Maths?
Son: You can learn Maths. Your brain has it. You can find in schools and tuition.
How important is Maths to you? Why?
Son: It is not that highly important. It is also not so low in importance. So it is in between. In my school, it is so easy. And in other places, so hard.
As I continue the journey with Tze Yu to find a greater appreciation of Maths, I would also love to hear from you in the ‘Comments’ section.