Teaching our little ones to solve problems in mathematics will make them successfully cope with life’s challenges.
What are the benefits of learning to solve problems?
- Help them to understand learning. Memory is very fragile and you can start forgetting knowledge if it is not tied to something emotional or practical. In this way the practical part must always dominate the theoretical part. “The great aim of education is not knowledge, but action.” – Herbert Spencer
- Have a critical thought process. They are the ones that need to think about the information being used to solve a problem, and the different solutions a problem has, while ignoring the irrelevant information. “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” – Aristotle
- Learn by doing. By stimulating that they themselves are the ones looking for the solutions to each exercise, this general knowledge will become unforgettable to them. “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” – Confucius
- Gain a dose of confidence. When a student is able to find a solution and knows that they have that ability, the feeling is unmatched. “Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.” – Confucius
- Be creative. Develop mathematics problems with various ways to reach the same result. Put them together and learn from the things they have in common in order to have a flexible mind. “Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.” – Margaret Mead
- Be pro-active. Encourage their motivation towards self-learning by teaching knowledge in a different way. Generate that spark of desire to keep learning. “Education is not the filling of a pail, but rather the lighting of a fire.” – William Butler Yeats
- Learn to understand life. A good method of learning is taking mathematics into the real world. For example, using money in a supermarket, studying angles on a basketball court, … there are infinite possibilities! “The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.” – Sydney J. Harris
Learn More:
- Problem Based Learning (PBL)
- What is Neurodidactics?
- Examples of 3rd Grade Math Word Problems with Solutions
- Singapore: Classroom Assessment
- Theoretical Framework of the Singapore Method
BS Communicative Disorders & BA Spanish from the University of Rhode Island.
Master’s in International Education from the Universidad de Alcalá– Instituto Franklin.
She has worked as a teacher in three different countries and is now a Translator on the Content Creation Team at Smartick and helps to adapt content for blog posts.
As a native Rhode Islander she loves any activity on the water and when she’s not working you can find her traveling, kickboxing, or trying out a new recipe.
Master’s in International Education from the Universidad de Alcalá– Instituto Franklin.
She has worked as a teacher in three different countries and is now a Translator on the Content Creation Team at Smartick and helps to adapt content for blog posts.
As a native Rhode Islander she loves any activity on the water and when she’s not working you can find her traveling, kickboxing, or trying out a new recipe.
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