Toys & activities that help child learn Mathematics

Young children learn about the world primarily by playing. As a result, they need toys that encourage them to imagine and explore, which are not necessarily those that are advertised on television. 

http://www.math.com/parents/articles/pnew797h.html

Dear Sir,

 Nice question. i think that all other subjects (excluding math, physics) are mostly taught in a way that if you memorize this topic or that topic then you can pass your test. For example, in an artistic domain such as fashion or drawing or architecture and so on, with all do respect, it is all about feelings and taste, not about logical reasoning which could be more and more challenging (in a negative sense to some people and a positive sense to others like us). 

Although I agree with the statement that mathematics scares a lot of people. I disagree that all alpha studies dislike it without question. For example: social sciences are pretty dependent on statistical equations: it's the only way to proof theories. So although alpha studies are about feelings etc, you still need the mathematics and logical reasoning.

Yet almost everyone I know in social sciences (at least on BSc level), detestes mathematics/statistics and is genuinly afraid of it. Most people fail that class. So I still think the question remains why so many people dislike it eventhough they need it.

Mathematics is Cumulative i.e., we’ve always got to remember that mathematics courses are cumulative. Almost everything we do in a math class will depend on subjects that we’ve previously learned. This goes beyond just knowing the previous sections in our current class to needing to remember material from previous classes. For instance, we can’t do a calculus class without first taking (and understanding) an Algebra and a Trigonometry class. Similarly, we will find a college algebra class to be very difficult without the knowledge that you learned in your high school algebra class.

Toys & activities that help child learn Mathematics

Young children learn about the world primarily by playing. As a result, they need toys that encourage them to imagine and explore, which are not necessarily those that are advertised on television. 

http://www.math.com/parents/articles/pnew797h.html

Very interesting points are coming up gradually and this was part of the reasons I raised this type of question in this type of forum. Thanks to you all who have given their opinion, I am sure you still have more to say when this is escalating. I do not even think that you will support my assertion as to whether my statement is true or not. I have been privileged to learn Mathematics in different countries and different continents (Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, United State of America, Austria, Canada, Germany) but this question still remains. Which stage of our educational system do we really have problems and what is really the cause of the problem of the subject matter, Maths?

Please more opinion!!!

Mathematics is a universal subject so students can not do without it as we have seen the application in virtually every sphere of life.  Even do students that think they are running from mathematics do mathematics every day. Expert in this field should try and remove the abstractness in order for it to be more friendly and you will be surprise at the turn out of students to it.

Uhmmmm, good word "abstractness." Thank you Gbenga. I think we are driving towards the goal of this question. Who should be blame for this act of running away from learning Mathematics and failures of those that manage to stay especially at elementary school, high school and undergraduate level?

Please, I need more comments so that we can draw a good conclusion from this. We do hope that people could read and make changes wherever they are concerned.

Thanks.

Students are still being taught math as a routine skill, They do not develop higher order capacities for organizing and interpreting information. Students may memorize the traditional approach without the significance of what they’re doing on the bigger picture, they tend to plug in numbers mechanically as they follow the technique learned to be successful in their exams, a myriad of ‘automatic responses’. Drilled Repetition does not develop meanings and understandings

Thank you very much for this answer, Krishnan Umachandran. You are right and I really like your direction towards the students. If I may ask, what do you think are the contributions of the teachers to this 'mess' and how do you think you and I, I mean everyone who teaches Mathematics could correct this anomaly since we all agree that Mathematics is more than important in any field of studies.

Thank.

Samuel, its really good question in present context. As I thought if people don't want to pay head properly & don't try to understand the beauty of mathematics, eventually they will loose the interest of the subject. 

Thank you very much Dol. I think you are right in that perspective.

My major concern is that is there anything that could be done to help the situation from the side of teachers. In my own understanding, I feel many teachers of Mathematics are horrible in the sense that they present the materials in a very difficult manner with much confusing notations and then they want the students to understand or 'fall in love' with the so called muster. I have decided at least in my little way, to teach Mathematics in its simplest form, a way that any student would not be scared and eventually 'fall in love' with it.