Are we teaching children to learn Math, or are we teaching them to love Math? Helping children discover a passion for numbers starts with us discovering how we can build that passion.
If we focus on merely completing PACEs, our children will lose the beauty of what is written in the material. They will fail to discover that subjects like Maths and Science can be seen as the footprints of God the Creator. It is the evidence that He is the Master who designed it all and He wants us to discover it.
Over the last few decades, learners have had Maths drilled into them without allowing them to truly understand the subject. They are coached in passing the subject. We celebrate the many 100% passes at the end of Grade 12, yet how often do you hear people say that they love Maths? It has become a subject that most learners fear; adults will pat their children on the back and say, “don’t worry, I also hated Maths.”
Be careful that we do not kill a subject that has the power to draw us closer to the One who invented and designed the Mathematical laws.
Make it fun!
What if we say to our students …
“Let’s go on a treasure hunt!” Let them discover the beauty of God’s creation as they work in the PACEs. Think of the miners who went digging for gold during the goldrush of 1886 in South Africa. People had to be willing to work hard and not give up until they found some gold. Similarly, encourage the learners to be diligent and make time to discuss the treasures they have found.
The brain does not retain any information that is boring. No wonder our children are addicted to technology. Who wants to do a “dull” Maths problem if they can rather watch the latest movie or play their favourite computer game?
Magnificent human designs have Math at its core.
I marvel at the wonder of flying from Cape Town to Durban in an airplane that takes less than two hours to reach its destination. A few centuries ago, people had to travel on horseback or on foot. We speak to our loved ones on a video call who are on the other side of the world, and we never give a thought to how this is possible. At the core of these amazing developments are Mathematical laws.
The PACE material covers all the above and so much more. Teachers do not need to spend hours trying to find resource materials for their learners.
Some tips for staff:
- Encourage your learners to persevere. Some sections of the work will be more difficult and will require more assistance from the supervisor.
- Do not take shortcuts.
- Focus on mastery of the content.
- Consider small group discussions once a week to talk about the challenges in the PACEs.
- Never compare students. Slower workers should not be considered as less intelligent. We are all wired differently and some learners will need more help than others.
- We suggest that students do the working of the Math sums in a workbook (can be A4) and then copy the answers into the PACE. This way the PACEs are kept neat. When students made a mistake, they can do the corrections in the workbook and write the correct answer in the PACE.
By Louisa Bezuidenhout
