Why doesn’t a child understand mathematics: how to teach a child to understand mathematics? How to understand that a child is a mathematician or not a mathematician?

The child hardly understands what it is to add and what to subtract, he is confused in numbers, signs, and he is generally afraid of the multiplication tables, not imagining how all this can be understood and learned. This, unfortunately, is sometimes found.

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And then worried parents begin to think about what the reasons for such misunderstanding are living, and most importantly - how to help son or daughter master all these mathematical wisdom.

Why doesn't the child understand mathematics?

The first group of problems associated with the misunderstanding of mathematics is due to the fact that the child the executive functions are poorly developed, which help to outline the sequence of actions subordinated to the goal, and also contribute to an operational change in the reaction depending on the situation, highlighting priority incentives.
Such children hardly switch from the task to the task, in addition, they, as a rule, have poor working memory. Poorly assimilating information and mastering new skills, children with similar problems, even understanding mathematics in principle, are difficult to perform the required mathematical actions.

It is important to figure out what the problem

The most common problems include:

Fast and incorrect homework.Due to the fact that the child does not act thoughtfully, but impulsively, he inattentively reads the condition, does not analyze the task and does not build the procedure in the mind, but immediately begins to solve. In addition, the child can act as “just like yesterday”, i.e. To solve by analogy with the previous task, not paying attention to the fact that there are completely different signs in the condition.
Difficulties in applying new knowledge. The child is based on what has already learned, and it is difficult for him to look for new solutions. To do this, you need to think and analyze, and not act, subordinating the impulse. For example, he learned that 8 more than 4. Therefore, it is difficult for him to understand the principle of compiling fractions, explaining why 1/8 is less than 1/4.
Automatic answer. The problem also follows from the fact that the child does not think about the condition of the assignment and is responsible in the same way, without hesitation. He sees two three in the example, but it is necessary to fold them or take them away - does not delve into, so he automatically answers what came to mind.
"Stupor" during the solution. Due to weak working memory, a child can, solving the problem, simply forget to fulfill some of the consecutive actions, which, of course, will lead to an error in the final result.
Inability to realize the mistake. Having problems with the development of executive functions, such children are not capable of analyzing and finding a possible error. They are more likely to be satisfied with an absolutely meaningless answer than to allow the possibility that they can be mistaken.

Such problems can lead a child to a state that psychologists call mathematical anxiety. Discomfort, even greater inability to think about the condition and the course of solving the problem are associated with a sense of a certain fear, which causes an alarm in the child, which experts determine the term “mathematical anxiety”.

Some psychologists believe that the reasons for mathematical anxiety are living in the low abilities of the child, in particular, to mathematical actions. But the other part of the specialists refutes such a position, justifying it with specific examples, when a child with increased mathematical anxiety is absolutely normal and correctly solves problems and examples.
Another version of the causes of mathematical anxiety concerns psychological aspect And it may be due to the fact that in the family mathematics is initially considered too complex science that the child perceives as an axiom, setting himself up in advance for difficulties and, accordingly, fearing them.
Mathematical anxiety is one of the reasons for poor working memory, which was mentioned above, since it takes part of its resources that could be aimed at finding a solution.

How to teach a child to understand mathematics?

The sooner you start to engage in mathematical science with a child, the more entertaining the explained material should be, for the smallest it is quite possible to even convey it in a playful way.

In general, the algorithm of actions in order to teach a child to understand mathematics can be something like this:

It is best to start with what to explain to the child the need for careful reading of the condition before proceeding with the decision. Perhaps he will help him focus on if he emphasizes the main points or highlight them with a marker.
After making sure that the child correctly understood the condition, ask him to think about whether he understands how to solve this problem. Does he understand all the moments or in some need for help?
To stimulate the ability to analyze the material, ask your student to determine how similar the task is to what he performed before, and what the differences are. If it is difficult, look at yourself using the textbook or the Internet so that you can explain in detail the similarity and most importantly - the differences in the tasks.
Surely the children solved such a problem in the classroom. Perhaps it is worth finding an example of a solution by looking at the cool work in a notebook? Having found him, invite the child to remember how the teacher explained the course of the decision. This may well work if the child has a sequence of already solved actions before his eyes.
To help understand in which place the task is “stupor”, try to write down every moment of the child's reasoning. Even if you can’t understand what the problem lies in - give these notes to the teacher, he will probably figure out what exactly his student is mistaken in.
Gradually, you will understand what moments the child should pay attention to first of all. Make together a list of such “underwater stones” so that he always reminded the student that he should carefully check before the teacher to handle the work.

How to support the child psychologically if he does not understand mathematics?

Psychological support is no less important. The problem is that, experiencing and fearing mathematics, the child cannot attend the subject thoughtfully and concentrate.
A kind of vicious circle comes out: the child does not understand the task in mathematics - the teacher set a bad mark - experiences on this subject - and again did not understand. As a result, one thought of mathematics makes the child not only be afraid of the subject, but also not to see the motivation for his study.
You should start with the fact that you try to understand exactly when it was mathematical anxiety. To do this, you need to check the basic foundations of knowledge in an understandable, possibly playing form. The cause of misunderstanding can lie in one topic that has been missed and after not mastered by the child.
In this case, it is necessary in any way to help the student master the material, calmly and kindly explaining all the obscure moments. If you are well versed in mathematical wisdom, you can help the child yourself, especially if incomprehensible material is from an elementary school course. And, of course, you can always contact the teacher or tutor.

It is very important to understand how exactly the child perceives information: by ear or visually. And, perhaps, his motor memory works best, he automatically remembers the text recorded with his own hand (often this effect gives spelling of cheat sheets)? In accordance with the features of perception, it is necessary to explain incomprehensible moments.

Follow whether in your family, surrounded (including school), phrases that mathematics is an overly complex science sound. If the child hears such attitudes, he subconsciously begins to feel anxiety.
Try it motivate his pride, directing to cope with the challenge that science left the student. Because the phrase “without mathematics is impossible to enter a decent specialty” does not sound as an incentive to study it, but as another reason to be afraid of this subject.

What should not be done if the child does not understand mathematics?

If the child does not understand mathematics, helping him to deal with an incomprehensible topic, you should never start with reference to the teacher. Do not ask your son or daughter about what the teacher said to do - because if the child remembers it and knows, then he would hardly need your help.
No need also right away call the teacherTo clarify his task. First, you need to understand the task yourself and try to explain the child incomprehensible to the child. So you will show that first you need to look for a solution on your own, and only if this does not work out, already turn to the teacher for help.
The teacher should not write a note that the child could not complete his homework because it is not clear to him. If you really want to help, talk with the teacher and tell him in detail about exactly what moments your child is lost. So the teacher will be able to understand where the knowledge gap is allowed, and it will be easier to make up for it.

Games and tasks in order to help the child understand mathematics

Today's textbooks can sometimes be at a standstill and an adult - some sections are so unusually composed. Therefore, it is important explain to the child that mathematics is not so complicatedif you do not consider it as a string of similar tasks and examples. Demonstrate the correctness of your words, offering your son or daughter to solve the problem from a book specially designed for elementary school, which is called "Mathematics in your hands" - It clearly and accessiblely proves that mathematical tasks can be fascinating.

Invite your child to register on the site "Teach.ru"which also makes it possible to get acquainted with a huge number of various tasks in which you can apply encryption methods, build a figure using shadows, understand numerical pyramids, etc.
Try to create with your child mEBIUS tape Or use the designer to create a polyhedron - it will be fascinating and not boring at all. Tell the child the condition of an incomprehensible task for him in your own words, in the form of a fairy tale, for example, or a funny story, drawing a comic book. Accepting the task emotionally, he can suddenly find a solution.
So that the child understands mathematics, offer a younger student arithmetic game. For example, this: “Aunt Valya lives in a multi -storey building. Her neighbors on top live on the fifth, and neighbors from below - on the third floors. What floor does Aunt Vali have? ”
Do not be afraid to use your fingers, even if teachers insist that children consider it in the mind. The recommendations of neuropsychologists are directly opposite: counting sticks, other counting materials, developing the Numikon game with visual material - all this helps children understand the basics of mathematical concepts. For example, the theme of the composition of the number can be easily understood precisely with the help of the fingers: the number “7” is 5 fingers of one hand and 2 - the other.
Or, respectively, three and four. Actively use thematic board games that teach account and logical thinking: “Kotosovs”, “Turboschet”, “Drum”, “fruit”, “set”, “fruit-10”.
In order to intelligibly explain to the child a unit of measurement - just measure everything that caught your eye: coverage of a brush or head, distance from the table to the sofa. Compare the obtained values, determining which one is more or less. The child will not represent the length in the mind, but to see it firstly, which is very useful. To understand the determination of the decimeter, cut a strip of paper 10 cm long and invite the child to measure the same distances, but not in centimeters, but in decimeters - he will clearly see how many such stripes are required.

How to prepare a child for the basics of geometry? Just give him somewhat identical sticks in length and offer to fold a square from them. Naturally, the child uses four sticks for this. Now that he will study the concept of “perimeter” at school, it will not be difficult for him to imagine these same sticks and fold them. The same visibility also simplifies the understanding of simple operations of addition and subtraction.

It is quite difficult to imagine numbers 3-2, but putting 3 oranges on the table, and then add 2 more to them-the answer is visible what is called the naked eye. Moreover, in such a visual method you can try to explain the child of fractions by cutting a cake or pizza into parts.

How to understand that a child is a mathematician or not a mathematician?

Humanity still argues about how a person came to understand the definition of numbers, learned to operate on them, compare and analyze, i.e. He took possession of what we call mathematical abilities today. Some have an opinion about the appearance of the ability to abstractly (i.e. mathematically) think in parallel with the process of the appearance of languages \u200b\u200band the first linguistic abstractions.
According to another version, mathematical abilities are not inherent in connection with speech, but everything is based on the perception of temporary and spatial categories that ancient people have mastered in due time.
Scientific research, confirmed by the results of magnetic resonance imaging, showed that people who have well-owning mathematical sciences are quite successfully cope with tasks related to natural and humanitarian disciplines. But “non -dummerists”, as a rule, are not very successfully oriented in matters related to this discipline. MRI indicators, at the same time, showed what activity the brain areas in various issues became the basis for conclusions.
It turns out, at conducting mathematical actions to a minimum involves those areas that are responsible for the linguistic component, but the zones “working” with the categories of numbers and space, on the contrary, are actively included. Thus, if the baby already in early childhood begins to navigate well in quantitative indicators, demonstrates the ability to spatial orientation, we can say with a high degree of probability that he is prone to mathematics.

The best time in order to determine what sciences your offspring is gravitated to, the age of 3 to 5 years is. During this period, babies actively communicate, play with their peers. After observing their games, parents can judge what type of thinking is more inherent in their child.
So, if the child is easily given the assimilation and memorization of the rules of the game, its basic principles and the algorithm, then he will clearly be able to think logically and, accordingly, prefer sciences based on the laws of logic, which is mathematics. The same children who learn not so much the rules of the game as the principles by which communication is built, the interaction between the players will most likely relate to people with the humanitarian mind.

Of course, all these gradations are quite arbitrary, but the trends can already be traced and help the child to develop in accordance with his warehouse of the mind, inclinations, character.

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