Chris McMullen
That's a good question. There are a few ways that I try to do this.
(1) Try to use creativity to make a few examples seem fun. I often have monkeys doing silly things, since it's easy for me to draw a stick figure for the monkey, and many students seem to appreciate the monkeys. In the end though, the child will eventually need to cope with just dry math problems.
(2) If you can somehow show a child how math is relevant to things the child really enjoys doing, the child may show a little more interest. This isn't always easy, especially depending upon the child's interests. But math does relate to very many things. And if you're creative, you can come up with math ideas that relate to almost any subject.
(3) Confidence helps. Some students don't realize that they can do math well. If you can somehow put the child in a position where they can figure out some problems on their own and feel like they really accomplished something, that can go a long way. It's a wonderful feeling to think, "Hey, I'm pretty good at this stuff."
(4) Patience. Sometimes, pushing too much leads to resistance. I look for signs of this and try to back off for a while, if possible.
(5) Motivation. My dad used to offer me the coins when he got change at a store provided that I could figure out what the change would be before the cashier did. The prize can be small, even stickers. Ideally, it would feel good to win, but not seem too bad to lose, and the problems need to be the right level for the child so that it's doable.
Good luck.
(1) Try to use creativity to make a few examples seem fun. I often have monkeys doing silly things, since it's easy for me to draw a stick figure for the monkey, and many students seem to appreciate the monkeys. In the end though, the child will eventually need to cope with just dry math problems.
(2) If you can somehow show a child how math is relevant to things the child really enjoys doing, the child may show a little more interest. This isn't always easy, especially depending upon the child's interests. But math does relate to very many things. And if you're creative, you can come up with math ideas that relate to almost any subject.
(3) Confidence helps. Some students don't realize that they can do math well. If you can somehow put the child in a position where they can figure out some problems on their own and feel like they really accomplished something, that can go a long way. It's a wonderful feeling to think, "Hey, I'm pretty good at this stuff."
(4) Patience. Sometimes, pushing too much leads to resistance. I look for signs of this and try to back off for a while, if possible.
(5) Motivation. My dad used to offer me the coins when he got change at a store provided that I could figure out what the change would be before the cashier did. The prize can be small, even stickers. Ideally, it would feel good to win, but not seem too bad to lose, and the problems need to be the right level for the child so that it's doable.
Good luck.
More Answered Questions
Elliott Light
asked
Chris McMullen:
I read one of you organic marketing articles and will dig into them further. (My marketing program has yet to gain traction.). I have a fascination with molten salt nuclear reactors. Given your background have you followed their development? Sorry if the question is off point but it's what came to mind after reading your bio.
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