«Can maths eat you?»
I tell
"Maths is a cool subject. Sometimes it's annoying when I have to calculate things that are too easy. I find maths exciting. We go up to 100 or higher, for example 10 × something that gives 120. I like doing that. At the moment we're practising the 10, 5, 6, 3 and 2 series. With the 6-row, I wondered why we didn't learn the 4-row first.
I could count when I was three, maybe four. I just counted a bit. 1, 2, 3, done. When I was five, I wanted to count as far as possible, then I realised that there was a system. 10, 11, 12 and so on. Then 21, 22, 23. The highest number I know is a quadrillion. That's a bit much. I can't imagine this number. It's at the limit.
Maths is needed everywhere. I want to join the secret service later. You have to see how many opponents you have. Maths also helps with cooking. I can see how many grams of spaghetti we need or in a restaurant how much drink is in the glass. It's written at the top.
«I learnt: I can't share an odd number fairly with my brother.»
At school, we often work in pairs, which is more interesting than working alone. If someone doesn't understand something, I help them. If I finish quickly, I read in the desk book. Lucky Luke at the moment. My brother and I have a whole collection.
Sometimes we play games in maths class. Then we do the multiplication tables on the trampoline. It works with the 2, 5 and 10 series. When you land, you have to keep counting. 10, 20, 30. Or we throw the dice. There is a calculation on each side of the dice that you have to solve.
I thought the number line was daft. For example, 5 + 15. (Note: He draws a number line.) First 5, then 5 forwards to 10. You could call it: Jumping in 5s «Gümp». We did this with material that had to be laid down. That took a long time. I preferred to write it by hand.
We also solved problems in the number book. (Note: He opens a page in the number book.) Here, for example, is a task about even and odd numbers. I learnt: I can't divide an odd number fairly with my brother. For example, you can't divide 3 without halving something. It also has a system: odd, even, odd - kind of like that.
How can I help someone to enjoy this subject? No one has ever asked me that. You probably have to learn the rows. If you can do them well, you can still enjoy maths. You don't have to be afraid. Why should you be? Can maths eat you up?"
Read more about maths:
- Zero desire for maths
Hardly any other subject causes as much resentment as maths. Many children find maths difficult and some find it frightening. They lose interest and self-confidence. Why is this? And how do children enjoy maths? - «Catching up in maths is difficult»
Peter Geering, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics Didactics, teaches prospective teachers how to support children in maths. He says that success promotes enjoyment of maths and that children need one thing above all: more time. - 6 tips: How parents can help with maths
In hardly any other school subject do children learn at such different speeds as in maths. Once children have gaps, they lose motivation and soon feel like failures. Learning experts Fabian Grolimund, Stefanie Rietzler and Lis Reusser explain how mums and dads can help their children. - Dossier: Maths anxiety
Find out in this dossier why so many children struggle with maths - and how parents and teachers can support them. - «Sometimes I just sat there and waited»
From middle school onwards, Samuel, 14, from Schüpfen BE, ran out of time in maths. Everything was going too fast. So fast that he no longer wanted to go to school. A reduction in learning targets, special educational support and his mum Sabine helped him. - «Maths is a bit fun, but not quite»
Michelle, 12, from Bern likes to go her own way - whether on horseback or solving maths problems. Her mum Nicole loves maths just as much as she does. In lower school, Michelle wanted to be the best. Today, friends come first.