«Maths is a bit of fun, but not quite»
We tell
Michelle: "My brother taught me maths, set me problems and explained everything. I was the best in the lower school. I liked working alone because I was so fast. That changed from year 3 onwards. Maths became more difficult with larger numbers, calculating with «times» and «through». That's why I no longer find the subject so cool. I like textile design better. I like being creative. But only at school. At home, I prefer to watch series or watch my guinea pigs Bonny and Bailey. I don't have to do much for school. With Curriculum 21, we hardly have any homework.
My favourite subject is ornaments. It's better than the high numbers. You have to do a lot of maths with them. It's annoying when you have a lot of homework and don't feel like doing any more. I usually understand the material. If not, I ask mum or dad."
Nicole: «Most of the time, Michelle doesn't have any questions. If she does, I'm happy to answer them. I have to be careful not to impose. I love maths. Michelle does a great job too. But I think it's important for her not to stand out too much.»
«Teachers should invent more games. The workbook is not cool.»
Michelle: "I used to stress myself out so that I could be fast. Today I think that's stupid. I prefer to work with my colleagues in maths. I like playing games. The human memory game: two children go out. The others are divided into groups of two. One child is given the task, the other the solution. Then the two children come back in and see who belongs together - i.e. which solution belongs to the task.
Teachers should invent more games. The workbook is not cool. For example, this one (note: she points to a task in the book): There you have to mark off little stones from above, here you can see it from the front, you have to put the red one on top, there's a cottage free, then the blue one comes diagonally opposite, turn it, adjust it a bit and mark it off. That went well. But I still don't find it funny. It's a bit funny, but not quite. I would set the tasks in the book differently. «22 35 horses + 39 98 horses» instead of just «22 35 + 39 98».
I invent a maths game with my girlfriend. A riding stable where you can move on. There are pieces of paper with tasks for each field. For example 133 + 969. How do you do the maths? I prefer to do the maths in writing because it's the easiest."
Nicole: «And orally?»
Michelle: «Then I first add up all the ones, then the tens and finally the hundreds. Can I get my skates now?»
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? - Dossier: Maths anxiety
Find out in this dossier why so many children struggle with maths - and how parents and teachers can support them. - «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. - «Can maths eat you?»
At the age of three he counted to 20, at five he discovered a system behind the maths. Today he is eight and realises that large numbers are unimaginable. Lian from the Bernese Seeland enjoys maths. - «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.