Relate Math Problems To Real
Without mathematics, theres nothing you can do. Everything around you is mathematics. Everything around you is numbers.Shakuntala Devi, writer and mental calculator.
What do you see when you look at a complicated math equation? A random jumble of letters and numbers?
No wonder you feel stressed because of math!
One simple tip to get better at math is to make practical connections to real-life scenarios whenever possible.
If your teacher writes a difficult equation on the board, ask yourself how you might use the formula outside the classroom.
Its always more challenging to memorise something we dont understand. But getting better at math becomes purposeful and relevant when we make it meaningful.
Heres an example
B = 60 + 0.25M, where B = 300
This equation doesnt mean anything to you. Maybe you can solve it, but you probably dont care much about it.
Now, what if I told you this math equation represents your phone bill. M = minutes used B = total amount due.
You suddenly have a real-life connection to the problem. Its not just an assortment of letters and numbers but a practical scenario involving money.
Remember that a valuable reason to get better at math is to make everyday decisions easier. So start relating your math assignments to real-life situations whenever you can.
If you do this, those tricky formulas might start to make more sense.
Is Common Core Math Working
Due to the massive overhaul of state education frameworks, many teachers are still scrambling to prepare. A study from the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University reported that 82% of math teachers are changing more than half of their instructional materials in response to the new practice standards. The same study found that three out of four teachers reported that they have embraced the new standards quite a bit or fully.
Mental Math Classroom Games And Teaching Resources
Mental math is a students ability to make calculations in their mind without the guidance of pencil and paper, calculators, or other aids. It is often used as a way to calculate and estimate quickly, using math facts that students have committed to memory, such as multiplication, division, doubles facts, etc.
Therefore, to develop as a mental math whiz, students must have a strong number sense.
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Break Addition And Subtraction Problems Into Parts
Use Appropriate Tools Strategically
Students today have a huge variety of tools available to them, and knowing which to use is half the battle. Depending on the problem, students could use anything from scrap paper and a pencil to more advanced technology resources. When students know how to find what they need, they develop problem-solving skills and become more comfortable looking for new solutions in the future.
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What Is Mental Maths
As the name suggests, mental math refers to a group of skills that allows people to do arithmetical calculations in their head without the use of calculators or other resources. Mental maths is useful in everyday life to answer different questions like:
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What is the final selling price of a particular item?
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What is the correct amount of change that I am supposed to receive from the cashier?
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What time to leave in order to reach a particular place on time?
What Is Common Core Math
The Common Core State Standards for Mathematical Practice were designed to reform the American education system, with three main goals:
At the heart of Common Core math are the eight Standards for Mathematical Practice. These standards were created by education professionals at all levels, and are based on research, leading state curricula and exceptional international math programs.
These standards allow students to learn deeply instead of widely and build a solid foundation for advanced study. The traditional Common Core math provides guidelines for grade-specific concepts, but its up to individual school districts to implement a curriculum thats in line with the standards.
Keep reading to find out what they mean, or
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Why Is It Important To Be Able To Do Mental Arithmetic
For one thing, mental arithmetic is far, far faster than keying numbers into an electronic device. Remember that your brain is actually a far more powerful computer than even the most advanced device.
When youre working on timed tests like your A levels in mathematics and physics, you often dont have the time to use a calculator to work through each and every question. You need to be able to rely on your brain to perform quick calculations to produce the correct answers as quickly as possible. Using your brain rather than a machine also eliminates the possibility of keying in a wrong number or making another manual mistake that will produce an incorrect answer.
Speed and accuracy is also incredibly important in daily life, from estimating amounts and making change for purchases to telling the time on an analog clock and understanding schedules. These are lifelong skills that you need to have to function smoothly in your day-to-day life.
Learn How To Calculate Quickly
The first step is to make the mental arithmetic practice regular if you want a fast improvement. With the repetition, your brain will develop a natural and obvious sense of all the calculations.
You need a notebook and perhaps an exercise book to help you practice mental arithmetic. This way you will keep a record of every trick you’ve used, the mental progress you’re making, and how fast you’re going.
Having trouble finding a teacher near you? Try an online math tutor.
Here is a list of basic tools toboost your skills:
- Know addition and multiplication tables
- Know complements of the number 10
- Know squares up to 15² as well as the powers of 2
- Multiplying by powers of 10 with negative exponents and positive exponents
- Dividing by a number is the same as multiplying by its reciprocal. For example, divided by 0.25 is the same as multiplying by 4
- Learning any special method: ² = a²+2ab+b², ² = a²-2ab+b², = a²-b²
- Learning the rules of factorization
- Know the orders of magnitude for Pi , the Golden Ratio , etc.
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Fun Ways To Perfect Your Childs Mental Math Skills
To begin with, let us present you with a clear idea of what mental maths skills are and how vital it is in the developing years of a student.
Most of you know it refers to the practice of doing calculations in your head. Yes, a quick way to calculate an assessment quickly through the use of maths logics that have been committed to memory, such as addition, subtraction,multiplication, division. Students should possess this skill from a young age, and for this, they need to exercise maths calculations in their minds without the aid of pencil and paperwork, calculators, or other support.
Mental math is a practical skill that most of us practice on a daily basis. Without the ability to do mental math, ordinary daily tasks like calculation of money or adding up the list of items are more complicated. When a student masters the skill of mental math, it can help them in any circumstance let it be inside or outside school. They may use it to count their pocket money available in piggy banks and plan for buying things accordingly. Or to calculate the bill of things they pick up before they walk up to the billing counter.
Improving Your Mental Maths
One of the best ways to improve your overall maths performance is to focus on boosting your mental maths. Try some of these simple tricks and tips to get you started.
- Use the 9 trickIf you need to add 9 to any number, first add 10 and then simply subtract 1. This makes figuring prices out a lot easier!
- The 5 times trick To multiply any number by 5, you can first multiply the number by 10 and then divide it in half. For 5 x 24, simply multiply it by 10 to get 240, and then divide that in half to get 120. Easy!
- Do your multiplication in parts This is a simple strategy that can help you multiply large numbers in your head. Find 3 x 89 by multiplying 3 x 80 and 3 x 9 . Then simply add those two numbers together to get 267.
- Calculate square numbers easily Calculate square numbers quickly and easily. For instance, to find the square of 24, drop down 4 to the closest easy number, which is 20. Now, you need to balance it by going up 4 to 28. The first calculation needs to be 20 x 28. Start with 2 x 28 = 56, and then multiple by 10 to get 560. Youre almost there! Now you just need to add the square of the number you went up or down to get to the easy number, which in this case is 4. 4 x 4 = 16, and then 560 + 16 = 576. In summary 24 x 24 can be done as such: + = 576.
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Gradually Increasing The Challenge Is Key
Once youre in the habit of doing basic mental maths, in order to get better, you need to challenge yourself with new mathematical concepts.
Gradually increasing the difficulty level will provide the mental challenge you need to make progress and its much more fun and engaging for your brain. Plus, after youve graduated to more difficult mental arithmetic, doing basic calculations is much easier.
Its also important to incorporate games as part of the learning process, in order to keep things fresh and exciting for students. As much as possible, these games should be included as a natural part of the instruction and students should have an active choice in the lessons, so that they enjoy themselves and advance to increasingly higher levels of mental arithmetic.
Mental Math Of Multiplication Of Other Numbers
Now you must be asking what about multiplication of numbers other than 11. Before we get into that, it is very important to understand the mental math tricks for addition and subtraction, since it serves as a foundation for multiplication. We will look at Multiplication Tricks for Mental Math in the next post.
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Introduce Prodigy In Class
You can also try out game-based math platforms that have a greater impact on improving students math skills than any other teaching strategies. Prodigy is one such free online math platform specifically designed for students from grades 1-8 to help them master complex math problems while solving puzzles, winning battles and exploring the Prodigy universe.
Get Prodigy in your school for free
Prodigy
Tips For Explaining Common Core Math To Parents:
All set! Youve seamlessly integrated Common Core in your classroom, your students are working together and discussing their ideas, and things are going smoothly. But what about their parents?
Parents want their children to get the best education possible. Common Core math is quite a large shift from how they were taught as children, and some of the processes and techniques might be unfamiliar to them.
With that in mind, here are three ways to get parents on board with new Common Core math standards:
Education doesnt happen in isolation in fact, one of the key indicators for students success is how engaged their parents are with their schooling. Keep parents in the loop to avoid major frustration and confusion and ensure a positive learning environment for all your students.
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How Can I Improve At Mental Maths
Want to get better at mental maths? Practice makes perfect!
The more calculations you practise doing in your head, the more confidence you will naturally build up, and the faster and easier it will become to do mental arithmetic.
Whats more, as you practise and train your brain, you will naturally discover and develop new techniques that let you perform calculations quickly and easily.
A study of European students demonstrated precisely this effect. As they repeated the mental strategies they had learned to perform mental arithmetic, their proficiency with numeracy improved significantly. Even more importantly, they felt more confident about their abilities and their perspective towards maths also benefited greatly.
So, dont wait to start! You can give yourself some basic training right away by doing daily calculations in your head when youre working on schoolwork, adding up prices while you shop, preparing budgets and timetables, and any other daily tasks that involve simple arithmetic.
What Is A Multiplicand And A Multiplier
Before we get into multiplication tricks to do mental math, let us quickly define what a multiplicand and a multiplier is. Take for example, the multiplication problem 43 x 23. Here the number 43 is the multiplicand the number being multiplied. The number 23 is the multiplier the number which is multiplying the first number.
There are several multiplication tricks for mental math in this post. Each mental multiplication method will have two examples. The first example, visible to everybody, will introduce you to the multiplication trick. The second example, visible only to logged-in users, will have variations not covered in the first example. So log in or to access the entire content.
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Numbers Into Shapes Or Objects
Another method is trying not to focus too much on the numbers. Instead of seeing numbers in your head try imagining the single digits as visual blocks or think of the different parts of the calculations as building blocks. Allocating an image in your head to the sets of numbers can change the whole way you approach that group of digits.
These tips and tricks are highly recommended by primary school teachers and tutors. If these tricks aren’t enough, then keep reading to find out how you can improve your mental arithmetic.
Prodigy Offers Common Core
Beginning in 2010, the Common Core State Standards Initiative aimed to change the way American students were taught English language arts and mathematics by countering low test scores, inconsistent learning standards and a curriculum that was a mile wide and an inch deep.
Of the 45 states that fully implemented Common Core by 2015, 24 chose to revise some aspects of the program but still remain aligned with the original standards today.
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Make Sense Of Problems And Persevere In Solving Them
When students approach a new problem for the first time, they might be tempted to go straight for the solution. After all, isnt that the point? The first standard directly counters this impulse.
When students rush in to immediately solve a problem, they often fail to understand the underlying concepts. Rote memorization and a quick recall are essential parts of mathematical fluency, but can often lead to greater problems. If a student doesnt understand the underlying concept behind the facts theyve spent time learning, they might struggle with more complicated problems or ideas.
Giving students more open-ended questions or methods allows them to work with the concepts behind the problem, instead of going straight to the solution.
For example, look at this typical Common Core math problem:
Source: The School RunWhile it looks complicated, a number line is a Common Core math example that teaches students several essential concepts:
- The relationship between numbers in a given problem
- The potential for more than one solution
- The foundation behind shortcuts and more complex processes
Write Down The Problem
It’s impossible to become an extraordinary mathematician who can add, subtract, multiply or divide complicated numbers in their head at once. To reach a good level of mental arithmetic you must take it easy!
Write down all of the calculations you need. Some students who are learning math find it easier to solve calculations or problems when they can visualize them on paper.
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