Mathnasium centers are math-specialized learning centers that any child can attend year-round to boost math skills and knowledge. Marsha Rimokh is the managing director of the Boca Raton, Florida, branch of Mathnasium. Below, she explains the additional benefits of math success.
When the brain is sharpened for math, it is sharpened for other subjects as well.
When a child comes into Mathnasium, his math capabilities are analyzed in order to create a specialized curriculum that will work with his strengths and weaknesses. Based on that analysis, we create a curriculum that will go back and fill in any educational gaps and also repair any problematic learning or thinking patterns that will hinder future math success.
During the program, and certainly after the completion of it, this student will have enhanced comprehension and learning skills, particularly in relation to math. However, these learned skills will certainly prove useful in other disciplines as well as in everyday life. Reducing confusion in any area provides the opportunity for clearer thinking.
A student who exclaims, “I hate math!” most likely does not hate math (after all, who could hate math?!) but instead is just voicing her frustration or embarrassment with not being able to excel in math. Math is one of the easiest subjects to fall behind in, which can result in too many students “falling through the cracks.” A student may never truly grasp a concept but still be able to move onto the next topic unnoticed. The misunderstood concept will surely come back to make life difficult, as almost all math concepts are interconnected and in order to advance a mastery of all fundamental concepts is necessary. Struggling with math can cause discouragement that will not only affect math scores but also overall school performance.
By re-teaching these misunderstood concepts effectively and building a sturdy foundation in math ideas, Mathnasium provides each student with the knowledge that he really can “get it.” Parents whose children have completed the Mathnasium program will see not only an improvement in report card grades and test scores, but also in behavior and attitude. The confidence gained through being able to master math concepts they previously felt somewhat hopeless about gives students an attitude boost that is likely to help in all areas of life, academic and otherwise.
Independence and Initiative
A student who achieves in Mathnasium not only learns to master fundamental math skills; she also learns a valuable lesson about education…and even about life.
At one point, a student was sitting in math class, dreading being called on by her teacher and hating the fact that she simply didn’t understand her homework or the quizzes. Then she participated in the Mathnasium program, learned to analyze her thinking and boosted her math skill set and knowledge. Now she can return to math class with the confidence and skill to get an A.
The experience has taught her how to deal with overcoming obstacles by taking initiative, which is an important lesson that will surely help in other subjects and areas of life. Next time she is falling behind in a class or feeling overwhelmed while studying for a test, she will have the experience and knowledge to ask for help to make the situation better.
The experience will also give her a sense of independence. Her time at Mathnasium will have taught her to analyze her own thinking and learning, and perhaps see where she needs help. Rather than getting lost in frustration, she will have the maturity to approach the situation head-on, and she will know that through hard work and effort, it can get better.
