Help with Math: Visual Techniques for Your Family

By Marlene Caroselli, Ed.D

We're used to seeing the likes of Susan Boyle or giggling twin babies going viral. And yet, a visual statistic lecture  has attracted millions of e-viewers. Yes, a lecture involving statistics.

One reason behind this Internet phenomenon is that most of us are visual learners. And making the numbers dance and prance along a visible continuum has drawn many viewers, all over the world, to the economic message being conveyed.

WHAT'S THE MESSAGE FOR TEACHERS & LEARNERS?

There are several applications that can be made to the learning process from this cyberspace sideshow. If your child is not yet enamored of math, do what you can to display numbers around the house. Inside a kitchen cupboard, for example, you might post colorfully displayed weights and measures.

Or, for Friday night dinner, post a brainteaser written in large numbers. The person who first comes up with the answer is excused from doing the dishes. Here are some to get you started (modify to suit your children's ages).

1. What number does not belong and why?

                   3810 6024 4816 1452

2.      What is the pattern among the following numbers?

                   2       5 29

                   3 4 25

                   2 7 _______

3.      What number comes next?

                   0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21

Answers:

1. The digits in each number (except 4816) add up to "12."

2.      The third number in each line is the sum of the first two numbers, squared.

3.      The third number (1) is the sum of the two numbers that precede it. The fourth number (2) is the sum of the two numbers that precede it. And so on.

FUSE WITH LANGUAGE ARTS

You could make this a family project: write a short play featuring numbers and have each member of the family take a part. The character "Two," for example, could wear the number on his shirt. There could be big 2's coming out of his ears, et cetera. Challenge the playwrights: Have each character speak lines that mention the number he or she represents.

With just a little imagination, the whole family can bring both math and the good things it represents, to life.