~Michelangelo~
Alyssa loves to play this Maths game on the iPad. One day, I had a sticky-beak and took a look at what she was doing. They're basically visual sums, for example, it'll show 12 + 13 = ? and below this it'll display 12 bananas and 13 strawberries. She counts all the fruits there and pick the answer from three options on the bottom. Easy-peasy.
Then comes the subtractions. It'll show 10 - 6 = ? and 10 lemons will pop up on the screen with 6 crossed out. Being the nosy, assuming control-freak that I am, I preceded to count the 10 lemons, then explaining to her how to take away the 6 by counting the 6 crossed out lemons, and that will leave us 4.
Annoyed at my interference, she said, "Tsk! I know what I'm doing. I know the answer is 4. Just count the lemons that are NOT crossed out. Your way took too long!"
Yes, my logic took about 12 seconds to work out, hers only 2 seconds. Although, for most of us we can instantly reccognise the answer is 4 by just looking at the sum alone, but my point here is the method/logic that she applied to derive her result.
Education has come a long way since my days in school. Rote Learning is old school. I'm old school! Bring on the Critical Thinkers - the generation of our future!
More bits and pieces of Miss A's attitude:
The other day, I was mucking around with her and asked her how old she is. She put out four fingers. I wanted to hear her say it, so I asked, "Yeah, how old is that?"
Her smart-ass reply? "What? Can't you count? And I thought you were very smart." :-/
And this one:
I get annoyed to the bone when the kids interrupt me while I'm talking to someone. It comes across as rude. So I always tell them to wait for me to finish before they can interrupt. In circumstances of emergency, only then they can interrupt. But then again, what is kids' interpretation of emergency? That they want something from the fridge? More ice-cream? So after awhile, I tend to ignore them again.
This is what Miss A has to say (Of course, you'll have to visualise her with her hands on her hips, and eyes rolling on the emphasised words when she said this.): "Mummy, your way is not working. From now on, I will say Mother or Edith when I seriously need you. You will have to pay attention when I call you that."
Yes Ma'am. Capiche!
5 comments:
Do you think I am talking bull....,when I always remind you that today's kids are not like robots anymore.They are more innovative and smarter.While you are trying to bring the mathematical logic of the victorian style of teaching with fingers and toes counting.She is teaching you equation in the head without knowing the meaning of word equation yet.Her method was,X + 6 = 10,therefore X must be 4 !.Like when you are a waiter and sombody maitan and gives you $100 note and had dine for only $27.65 cts.No doubt it is a subtraction,isn't it easier if we do addition in the head to give back the change?And even faster!.So Mummy,don't MESS around with your little professor!!!!!!!!!!!
I was curious to find out the word for people who do not have a logic in maths and bumped into this word,"dyscalculia"(wiki).Then into "intelligence quotient and then made friends with "Raven's progressive matrices test".So,so I told myself.Not again!I was tortured from 8 a.m till around 4 p.m,before they had decided(Kwailohs!)to spend their(also my tax money/insurance tax)to study machine building.1 more hour and I would had lost all my intelligence from vomitting!
Dyscalculia is as interesting to read as "reading and writing disorder."I was quite curious to know whether I am suffering from any of these disorders.
Try to solve the first black and white geometrical figures of "Raven's P.M.test",before you get the book.The taste can be bitter to some people.
I think "Little Professor" from Texas Instruments with 4 levels,also for adults,is a wise way to learn calculation in the head.But is the company still around?
Extraordinary people-Daniel Tammet -(part 1 of 3)
7 year old Indian surgeon-Akrit Jaswal (part 1 of 5)
Tammet is a savant and Akrit is not good in Progressive matrices tests.I wonder who is smarter.I think it is good to have a difference.
"How to teach a child math-Part 1 and 2"
"Ten Frame Math"
"Getting started with Ten Frames"....for Alyssa? Am I too late? Then save it up for Prince Hairry!
"Maths is everywhere"
"Maths made easy.Finding the area of a rectangle/circle/triangle/etc"....for Chloe? and Brandon????
Of course in Youtube.That guy is talking through his nose and I think he must be 100/% a COWBOY!
And then I bumped into this guy again.."Kim Peek-the real rain man(2/5),and you know what?
I will lose to him in "Memory Games",BUT in Raven's Matrices Test,he will have a problem with me!So how can we measure intelligence?I'm only trying to find the logic or facts.A computer is only intelligent if humans feed him with enough information and the late Kim Peek was a human computer!
We have a word for it,"was Du nicht weiss,macht Dich nicht heiss"...something like what you don't know,why bother!"...and there are many other variations too.
Happy learning kids!
Post a Comment