> > Maths teaching in Indian schools demands that a certain degree of math > skill must be acquired in a specified period of time and "proof" of such > skill be demonstrated in an examination in which you are supposed to do > math and get all the answers right within, you guessed it, a specified > period of time. > > Math teaching links math with time which is a mistake. Poorly worded > math problems with ambiguous meanings sometimes add of a high school > child's woes. >
> There are some math skills which one child may master in a few weeks but > another child may need two years before he can do the same consistently. > The latter child is dubbed "weak in maths" and begins to hate or fear > the subject. There are some math problems that one child will get 100% > correct if he is not forced to do them in 3 minutes or 5 minutes. Such a > child may get every problem perfectly right if he is given two or three > hours rather than one in a test. You are never given exactly 7 minutes > to glance at your bank account books to ensure that it all tallies up > for you. You can take as long as you like. Why are children treated > differently? > Very pertinent points. When I look back I now realise that I enjoyed math more than anything else because I understood the early concepts quickly (maybe aptitude), did well, got labelled as a math person and that carried me through all my schooling. I probably put in more effort because I got positive feedback early. I actually suck at calculus but momentum carried me through. The positive feedback cycle is important for any initiative (learning stuff, losing weight etc) and that makes a big difference to individual motivation. D
