Category: Math Skills

To Succeed in the Global Economy, Children Need Stronger Math Skills

By Mathnasium | January 12, 2022

Our children’s long-term success depends on their ability to compete and collaborate with people around the world. There is one language they will all need to use, and it’s not English: It’s math. Unfortunately, the difference between U.S. students’ math skills and those of their global peers is consistently alarming. The most recent Programme for International Student Assessment (2018) ranked U.S. students below the middle of the pack in math proficiency¹ — as it has for years.

Math Tips for Students Grades 6 and Up: Introduction, Zero, and One

By Mathnasium | January 27, 2021

Last week, we introduced our Math Tips series to parents with kids in grades K-5 in hopes of helping foster an understanding, mastering, and love of math in the home. This week, we’re continuing this effort for parents with older kids.

The math facts and concepts that we’ll be highlighting in the coming weeks and months should be well known by every student in grade 6 and up. They form the fabric of knowledge — the foundation necessary for success in the middle school and high school math classrooms. Most teachers assume that their students know this information. When facts and concepts are at a student’s fingertips, new material encountered becomes an extension of things they already know. Without them, it seems like every new topic has to be learned from the beginning — and the prospect of that can be daunting.

Math Tips for Parents, K-5: Introduction and Counting

By Mathnasium | January 20, 2021

Parents often ask us what they can do to help their children understand, master, and love math. Well, this happens to be right up our alley. In fact, it’s our mission! Our team of master educators has put together some fundamental tips and strategies that you, as parents and guardians, can use with your children. In the coming weeks and months we will share a number of recommendations in hopes that foundational knowledge can grow in your homes. By utilizing these math tips and engaging your child, you’ll help them feel more confident in math, improve their understanding, and spark their love of learning math.

The following tips are for kids in grades K-5. Parents with kids in grades 6+, check back next week for tips for you!

Number Sense Is the Key to Success in Math!

By Mathnasium | January 2, 2021

Regardless of age or skill level, there are almost always gaps in a child’s foundational understanding that, if addressed, would boost their success in math.

When we give assessments to children in our math learning centers, we see that a high proportion of their knowledge gaps stems from a lack of number sense. Number sense is “the ability to appreciate the size and scale of numbers in the context of the question at hand.” In essence, it’s the understanding of what numbers mean, how they work together and how they connect to real life. It’s critical that children have a firm grasp of number sense, because it underlies all mathematical comprehension and ability. Typical math tutoring does not teach number sense, acting as a bandage rather than a cure for the problem.

To Understand the World, Learn to Understand Statistics

By Mathnasium | April 16, 2020

“Statistics are the heart of democracy.”— Simeon Strunsky, essayist and editorialist, NYT 1944

In the information age, as the volume of digital and electronic data increases exponentially, the field of statistics is enjoying its heyday. In honor of Mathematics and Statistics Awareness Month in April, it’s time to take a fresh look at statistics, which not only plays a pivotal role in modern society but is also a pretty great career choice!

9 Fun Activities to Prevent Summer Learning Loss (and Boost Math Skills)

By Mathnasium | June 11, 2018

Long summer days invite the family to spend extra time relaxing, playing, and connecting. Many parents also look for ways bolster their children’s math skills, but family time should be fun, not stressful! We compiled nine fun family activities that help combat “the summer learning loss phenomenon” (a.k.a. “the summer slide”) in math and create lasting memories.

How To Prevent “Summer Learning Loss” in Math

By Mathnasium | April 17, 2018

When is your child better at math—at the end of a grade level or at the beginning of the next grade?

If you answered, “end of a grade level,” you’re usually right. The typical child has more math skills when they leave second grade than when they enter third grade. That’s because, during the summer, the majority of students lose the equivalent of two months of math skills.

“Wholes and Parts” (Number Sense Series, Part 2)

By Mathnasium | March 13, 2018

Number Sense is the ability to appreciate the size and scale of numbers in the context of the question at hand. Three elements establish Number Sense: Counting, Wholes and Parts, and Proportional Thinking. We already introduced Counting in Part 1 of our Number Sense Series. Today, we will focus on Wholes and Parts.

The two aspects of the concept of Wholes and Parts form the backdrop for many mathematical concepts: fractions and complements.