Mathematics is often seen by students as
irrelevant, boring and of no use after school is completed. These things
couldn't be farther from the truth, especially as technological advances make
math more and more a part of our daily lives, even if it is behind the scenes.
As we continue to develop, data sciences, mathematics and overall thinking
skills built in math class become more important each day. There are numerous
ways math is integrated into our everyday lives, including the
lifelong skills it helps us to build and it’s necessity as we move
into the jobs of the future.
Here are some key areas of our daily lives where
math is critical:
Managing
Your Home
●
Cooking & Baking
●
Telling time
●
Home decor & repairs
●
Gardening
●
Paying bills
●
Getting loans
●
Using credit cards
●
Budgeting
Travel
●
Driving
●
Booking flights & hotels
●
Currency conversions
●
Time zone changes
Shopping
●
Groceries
●
Clothing
●
Understanding sales &
promotions
●
Determining how much you need of
something
Entertainment
●
Art
●
Music
●
Sports
●
Calculating a tip
Nature
●
Understanding how/why things grow
●
Genetics
●
Chemistry
●
Navigating (without signs and
computers)
As you can see, math is all around you and is
required to be able to function effectively in today’s society. Everything runs
on time, measurement and costs and life requires calculations and conversions
all day long.
There are also some key skills gained from math
outside of just formulaic knowledge. These are imperative to our cognitive
ability to “get through the day” and are required for most jobs, not to mention
building on the social skills we learn throughout our lives.
Math learning teaches us to
Think faster
Solve problems
Think critically
Find solutions using reasoning
Use relational thinking by explaining how things
work and how they relate to each other
Use analytical thinking by learning how to
investigate the world around us
Overcome frustration and uncertainty
Math has always been an important part of our
occupations. From the nurse measuring medication to the insurance advisor
calculating risk to farmers and gardeners in so many ways, math is used in almost every job today in some
capacity, which will continue to grow as new technologies advance.
The
illiterates of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write,
but, rather those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.
-Alvin Toffler
Strong critical thinking, problem solving and the
ability to digest and interpret data will be the essential job skills as we
come into the next generation of the workforce. Students should be working now to develop the skills and mindset they will need to be
successful in the future.
As you can see, math is necessary in almost every
aspect of our lives and the practice of math learning creates important skill
sets that will impact overall thinking for the rest of a child’s life.
Learning the foundations of math is so important! If
your child is struggling with foundational knowledge or you’re looking to set
them up for long term success, getting them started with a tutor who can focus
on their areas of need and possible development should be your key focus.
Mathnasium has a proven
method for getting students to excel to their full potential. Learn more here.
