Five-Year-Olds Can Learn Calculus (2014)

Re:Five-Year-Olds Can Learn Calculus (2014) by jpamata on Tuesday September 05, 2017 @01:44AM (#15172786)

It's amazing how much this cultural conditioning can affect one's aptitude towards math. When I used to help my brother with his maths, he would oftentimes complain about not being smart enough. Shortly after, he would give up on the problem and come up with a rudimentary solution just to have an output. On these occasions, I'd prod him to solve the problem, ask him about his approach, probe his mental process, and most of the time, he'd tell me the correct steps to solve the problem. Had he not given up sooner, he would've succeeded.

I think that an interest in maths, is the fuel to help one cross from problems to solutions. With how mathematics is taught nowadays, mechanical rather than analytical, I can imagine how easy it is for kids to develop a negative sentiment towards math especially when they get dozens of rote problems every day.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Five-Year-Olds Can Learn Calculus (2014) by chii on Tuesday September 05, 2017 @03:15AM (#15173104)

I think kids see those exercise problems as arbitrary and therefore unmotivated to do them. I dunno if there's any way of making then interesting and or relevant to motivate kids to do em.

I suspect curiosity is of paramount importance, and that curiosity is not fostered in school about math.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Five-Year-Olds Can Learn Calculus (2014) by fspear on Tuesday September 05, 2017 @05:36AM (#15173674)

>I think kids see those exercise problems as arbitrary and therefore unmotivated to do them.

This is exactly how I felt growing up. It wasn't until actually looking at the practical applications of math that I got it. Doing equations for the sake of it without any actual context constantly frustrated me to no end and made me hate math and physics because it made me feel incompetent and stupid, it's been a struggle getting rid of this feeling even to date.

[ Parent | on HN ]