Thinking Freely Volume 1 Issue 5
Arithmetic - Mathematic's Foundation
Arithmetic is the basis of all mathematics yet, as Americans, many of us have lost our mastery of the fundamental concepts. Many of us who are able to solve advanced arithmetic problems often don’t really understand why they workout. We just know how to get the answer.
If we take a deeper look at adult students who struggle with courses like college algebra and pre-calculus, many of their problems stem from a lack of a true understanding of fractions, divisibility, math critical thinking skills, and other math fundamentals. They are trying to build a house on a shaky foundation. Algebra is a generalization of Arithmetic and all higher level courses build on Arithmetic.
Each year almost 1 million college bound students graduate from high school who are not prepared for college level algebra. If we truly want to bring our nation back to the forefront in mathematics, we need to make sure that all Americans, young and old, have mastery of foundational mathematics – Arithmetic.
How can we achieve this? When working with students, especially adult students, instead of drilling over and over again and focusing on memorization, let’s start at the beginning. Re-teach struggling high school and adult students the basics in a mature and interesting way and focus on the relationships between math topics.
For the young students, let’s start with the teachers. Make sure that all of their teachers are comfortable and confident in their knowledge of the foundational topics. Work with the teachers to integrate mathematics learning into all subjects since we use math in so many aspects of our lives. When teachers believe that mathematics is fun and exciting their students will reflect their enthusiasm and
perform better on standardized tests.
For too long we have let it be acceptable for adults to say “I’m just not good in math”. As we usher in a new era for this country, its time for us to take pride in our mathematical ability and regain our role as a world leader. It all starts with mastery of the foundation of all mathematics – Arithmetic.
