A Different Look At Math

Few people have neutral feelings about math.

For some, it is a favorite class.  Equations, functions, variables, exponents – it all just makes sense.  And some love the simplicity of having a right answer and a wrong answer; they take comfort in the black-and-white, you-got-it-right-or-you-didn’t outcome that is reflected in teaching and grading.

For others, it’s a favorite class to avoid.  Right and Wrong answers ignite a certain anxiety.  They cringe at the thought of those worksheets filled with little numbers and little symbols that are supposedly telling you how to write more numbers and more symbols and maybe get another number or an “x” or a “y” or something equally nuts.

Which group are you in?

If you ask the second group, math is a little too…tough.  Strict.  A taskmaster.  And, often, a foreign language class.  For this group math makes as much sense as… this thing.

Fibonacci Sequence in Nature

Suffice to say, it’s difficult for many students to feel that math is alive.  They don’t see math’s rules – and it’s beauty – in the everyday world.  They don’t believe that mathematics in their lives can exist outside heavy textbooks and x’s and y’s.  But wouldn’t that be nice?

Lucky for all of us, there are many brilliant and creative people out there who make an effort to do just that:  make math easy, accessible, and, yes, FUN!

One tasty math learning site is YummyMath, which features posts and exercises on how mathematics is relevant in our world today.  Recent posts include “NFL Franchise Values” “Bank of America Debit Card Fees” and calculations on making pumpkin pie (“Yummy!”) from ginormous pumpkins.

For those of us who need a little interactivity, there’s CoolMath, which provides a set of games that practice math skills and spatial ability.

For Educators, check out the HomeSchoolMath Blog.  Maria Miller, math teacher and aficionado provides resources for teachers to engage students in their math classes.  She provides video instruction, links to other sites, and exercises!

Check out those sites above, put down your textbook, and look for the math that lives all around you.  It’s there, we promise.

PS. We provide tutoring for both people who love and hate math.