Math Misconceptions
Marin Mommies presents a sponsored article from Scott Rubin, owner of Mathnasium in Mill Valley, a neighborhood math-only learning center for kids in grades K–8.
I have been running a math learning center for 6 years and have spoken with over 2,000 children and parents. Most parents understand our business model and let me work my “magic”, so to speak. However, there are still many parents who cannot accept the way we do things and either go somewhere else or do nothing at all. I am always puzzled by their thought process, but do not blame them for disagreeing with me. I believe they were groomed to think in a different way. The following are misconceptions I have seen over the years:
Misconception 1: Either you know math or you don’t
Many parents say things such as “she is just not a math person” or “he will never be good at math”. We can all agree that some people are better at certain things than others. If you play enough basketball you will eventually be good or even great at basketball. If you practice math enough you will improve and one day be good at math or even amazing at math. We all have strong aspects and weak ones. There have been several studies* that have proven success stems from practice not innate ability.
Misconception 2: Just explain it
Many parents are convinced that all their child needs is someone to explain things to them. People think this way because that is how our schools are setup in lecture formats. Naturally we would expect this approach to be the best way to learn since this is how we have been taught our entire lives. Can you imagine learning how to ride a bike or play baseball without doing it, just someone explaining it? Obviously, this approach cannot work. If you are already good at something and then you receive information, you can absorb it. If you cannot walk how can I possibly train you to run a marathon. The only proven method for learning is repetition and time. You absorb little to no information from listening to someone. In order to retain something, you need to put it to a practical use MANY times. It may take one person two attempts at changing a tire until they can do it on their own while another person needs 10 tries. Both people are able to learn this task but their learning curves are just different. Same thing with math.
Misconception 3: Only work on current topics
Some parents feel going back and working on math topics from prior years is a waste of time. Math is one of those subjects that builds on prior material. Although, it is possible to learn an advanced topic without understanding the remedial information, it will just take much longer to retain it this way. One is more likely to memorize the solution. However, they will never understand the material when it is presented in a different format (i.e., word problems). If the best approach is to work on current topics and ignore the need to master earlier topics, then why did we ever teach those earlier topics at all?
Misconception 4: No improvement after a month
Many parents expect their child to start scoring much higher on tests, right away. I agree it would be nice if all my students became straight ‘A’ students within a week. Learning math is similar to learning anything else (a sport or language). It takes time, practice, commitment and a host of other things. If I am 100 pounds over-weight and my wedding is next week, I cannot expect much change. There may be some progress in a month but give me 6 months or longer and I have a chance of making significant progress.
Misconception 5: Why is there no improvement after 3 months?
In almost all cases, we see improvement after 3 months, as long as the child attends at least 2 hours a week. The children who attend sporadically tend to have marginal results. Parents often get upset because they spent a lot of money and their child had minimal success. Unfortunately, the only way to see results, like with anything, is by practicing. If I joined a gym and did not go all year would I be in better shape? Silly question, I know. If I go to the gym once a month would that be appropriate; probably not. Attending Mathnasium once a week is appropriate for maintaining your math knowledge. That is why we recommend attending at least twice a week for growth. It is not surprising the kids who attend 3-4 times a week have the most success.
