Elementary Math Made Easy-part One

Learning through conversation

Let me clear from the beginning that I am not going to advise or going to present a ‘’ how to’’ article. I am a teacher teaching math and science to secondary level students; chemistry as my major. This is how it started, one of my close friend’s daughter is in first standard and is branded as a DUMB as she is week in every subject, almost got’’ E’’ in every subject. My friend was hysterical and thought her child needs a psychiatric help…reluctantly I consoled her by saying that she could send her to me till we meet a child counselor. When I saw her, immediately I was able to sense…she is scared, worried, confused and more over branded as a dumb…whose confidence is just shattered and she is feeling so low that her eyes were blank like a desert. When I asked what the day was that, she looked at me and started counting, sun day…Mon day …Tues day…enough is enough…I started formulating something new…something interesting…and something motivating, so that this child could get over from this devastating feeling of inferior…

I tried to summed up all those methods below, of course, in phases.

FIRST LESSON {I took a yellow teddy bear, a doll in a doctor’s costume, a toy car and box with 30 different shade crayons and started talking }

Me. Can you tell me what I am holding? (Showing the doll)   

She. It’s a doll! ma’m!

Me. Could you just count her fingers honey?

She. Sure ma’m , she has 5 fingers (after counting)

Me. Now count the other one…

She. Again 5 ma’m …

Me. Now count simultaneously.

She.  (After a little effort) all together 10 …

Me.  Now you know what have we done dear? We have added 5 with 5, means 5+5

She. Is that addition! Ma’m !

Me. You are right honey, is that difficult for you?

She. No…I mean…but our sums are much more difficult than this ma’m ..

Me. Nothing is difficult my child, we will learn gradually everything.   

   Like this I go on asking questions….

1.      How many eyes she has ? nose, ears, eyebrows etc.

2.      Now combined different organs like no. of fingers and toes, ears and fingers, nose and legs etc.

3.      Next I told her to count her body parts in diff. permutations and combinations.

4.      Simultaneously I discussed about her likings features about the doll and the reason.

5.      Finally I finished the initial class with naming the doll by my little student. She named her Rosy.

6.      I planned my next class with the crayon box.