Website design By BotEap.comI know this statement is shocking. Some of you may feel that I have heralded the end of civilization as we know it. How the hell are people going to learn math without the latest and greatest math textbook? The answer is simple. In the same way that people have always learned mathematics before the modern education system, doing it while going about their daily lives. You may ask “Is that possible?” “Would it work?” I think. It is the reason I made this statement when asked if my new book, “Math Is Child’s Play,” was going to be a math textbook. But to be fair, let’s look at both sides, school math versus everyday math.

Website design By BotEap.comFirst let’s take a look at school math. I’ve been looking into the topic of math anxiety lately. An increasing number of people profess to hate math, to be ‘not good at math’, to be eager to do basic math. These same people were taught mathematics in our public schools. When did this math anxiety situation start? Who knows for sure? But what is significant is that it is increasing, not decreasing. It is increasing despite the modern educational system, despite the New Mathematics and the latest teaching methods, despite all the money and energy that has been invested in the problem. Just for the record, I came across a book “Mathematics: A Human Endeavor” by Harold R. Jacobs copyrighted in 1970 that in the preface to it the author mentions the failure of the New Mathematics in schools. A 1964 book, titled “Mathematics for Elementary Teachers” by Ralph Crouch and George Baldwin, which was written to teach mathematics to elementary teachers who were expected to teach mathematics even though they had no mathematics training.

Website design By BotEap.comMarilyn Burns, a well-known math expert, has addressed math anxiety from the 1970s with her first book, “I Hate Mathematics,” to her most recent book, “Math; Facing an American Phobia” in 1998. The latest book discusses the math. Anxiety as a growing phenomenon. And more recently, Rosanne Proga’s “Math for the Anxious,” copyright 2005, is also crystal clear about math anxiety and its causes. Of course, all this math anxiety is good; at least it is for the mathematics textbook industry. Math anxiety sells math textbooks. Parents worry that their children will learn math better than they do. Teachers are asking for a better way to teach math. This is great news for math textbook companies. For you and me, this is bad news.

Website design By BotEap.comSo let’s look at the other side. Is it possible for people to learn mathematics in everyday life? running your business or home, doing projects, etc.? it’s possible? I believe that it is and is already happening without anyone noticing. My daughter professed to hate math, but she studies it every day at Neopets. When I asked her about it, she said it wasn’t real math. So what kind of math was she? I think she meant it wasn’t “school math.” I met an airline pilot who went into detail about the calculations she did in her head to fly the plane. She later stated that she hated math at school. She wasn’t ‘good at it’. She wasn’t even able to balance her own checkbook. When I pointed out that the calculation she did to fly the plane was mathematical, she insisted that it wasn’t because she wasn’t good at math in school. She said, “It’s just a formula where I plug in numbers.” Marilyn Burn relates a similar story about an interior decorator who could calculate the price of an entire room, but she also felt that she was not good at math. These are people who couldn’t do ‘school math’ but are doing the math that is required of them in their daily lives. They probably learned this math on the job; therefore, they do not relate it to school mathematics.

Website design By BotEap.comMathematics is best learned in the real world, with real life situations. You can start by counting the cookies his mother gives you. Then you start comparing the number you got to the number your brother got. You quickly learn to calculate “how many” he received more than you, so that your complaint is accurate. Below, you are watching mom cut the cake or cake. You quickly work out how many pieces each person can have, that is until mom steps in and she tells you how many you can really have. Then she calculates how many she can have tomorrow without all those guests. This is a simple real life scenario, but how many math concepts did I cover here? These skills grow with your children. How many of you have watched your older children go through their Halloween candy? My son spells and counts to see how he did. Halloween is also a great time to teach about taxes. Parents should take their share of sweet profits, and not just sweets that the child does not like. Remember, Uncle Sam cuts off his top before you even see a dime.

Website design By BotEap.comPlaying is a great way to learn math. I like miniature golf and billiards to learn about angles and force. Of course, this may sound like Physics, Newton’s 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 while you play? Wow, here is another real life example for learning math. I like to play games. You say it; board games, card games, strategy games. If it challenges me and tests my intellect and problem solving skills, I like it. Games like Nim, checkers, chess, mancala, Stratego, Battleship, Risk, etc. help develop logical sequences and strategies. Games like Uno, Skip-bo, Set, Rummikub help children develop their ability to see patterns. Games like cribbage, gin rummy, Scrabble really help kids practice addition and multiplication.

Website design By BotEap.comBut enough of games, let’s talk about serious things. If you want to learn math, do a project like decorating a room. Do all the work, from calculating the paint or wallpaper, to calculating the material and sewing the curtains, to arranging and arranging the furniture. Design a new cabinet layout for your kitchen, including estimating cabinet dimensions, appliance placement, and project costs. Try building something like a desk or swing set on the playground, or a go-kart. How about doing a baking or sewing/quilting project? Do all the preparations for a dinner party, including planning, shopping, seating arrangements, cooking, etc. Try paper trading some stocks and tracking for a year. Start an eBay business. wow! Wouldn’t it be amazing if your child’s math project turned into a home-based business that pays for your child’s college education? It is possible and it is real life.

Website design By BotEap.comWhen it comes to learning mathematics, everyday life has many opportunities and learning is natural, not forced. On the other hand, the problem of math anxiety has its roots in our modern educational system. The problem lies in having non-mathematical experts teaching mathematics as if they were experts. The problem lies in having mathematics textbooks that present mathematics in an artificial and rigid way. As much as I liked Marilyn Burns’ book, “Math; Facing an American Phobia,” I think she missed the proper conclusion to the situation. Ms. Burns is still trying to ‘fix’ the system. It’s obvious to me that it’s time to throw out the system and relearn math in everyday life. Therefore, I stand by my statement “The last thing the world needs is another math textbook.”