Mathematics effective in helping children make sense of troubling times

Mathematics effective in helping children make sense of troubling times.

The joyful mood of Children's Day this year has been largely dampened by political violence. A recent string of bombings in Bangkok, schools being burned in the South, Northeast and North, and the shooting of teachers in the restive South are all instances of political violence that we have experienced in the past year. It is apparent that every part of the country is in a state of chaos.

Obviously this has put the mental and physical health, as well as the educational opportunities, of our children at risk. But we can turn crisis into opportunity by exploring the positive side of the situation to encourage kids to love mathematics, a discipline that many adults have bitter memories of from childhood and one that is not popular among Thai kids today, partly caused by failures in teaching methods.

Knowledge of mathematics can be useful in many respects, including decreasing stress and anxiety by encouraging children to think in a rational manner. Of particular interest now is the role it can play in investigating terrorist acts. With proper mathematical training, even young people can apply the principles of mathematics to trace the traits of those who were behind school burnings, shooting of teachers and placing bombs in Bangkok. "We can apply a sub-discipline in mathematics, such as graph and set theory, to uncover those who are suspected to be terrorists," said Srisakdi Charmonman, chief executive officer of the College of Internet Distance Education, Assumption University.

Mathematicians and computer scientists around the globe have tried to develop effective algorithms known as graph theory to detect signs of criminal and terrorist acts from a trillion telephone calls and email messages (readers interested in learning more about this should refer to "Connecting the dots", an article that appears in the September-October 2006 edition of American Scientist).

The abstract concepts of mathematics make it a difficult discipline for children to understand. Experts have suggested that parents or teachers introduce abstract concepts using real situations and the experiences of children. "I teach my kid math by making him learn from real experiences. I explain about the speed of the car while driving and ask my five-year-old kid a question about how long it will be before we reach a destination," said Somkiat Tangkitvanich, a researcher at the Thailand Development Research Institute.

Parents should not prejudge their children's ability to learn complicated math problems, according to Somkiat, who has been teaching math to his own child since he was three or four years old. He said there are many day-to-day activities that are useful in teaching math such as pointing out the connection between the levels on a thermometer and a change in temperatures. Somkiat himself has extensively applied mathematics to expose issues of conflict of interest in the past government and his works have influenced public opinion about issues of corruption.

Pamela Liebeck, an English mathematician, and the author of the book "How Children Learn Mathematics", a guide for parents and teachers, suggests a gentle step-by-step method for introducing kids to the abstract concepts of math. She advises a long list of simple activities to teach children the basics of arithmetic.

She writes that babies see, feel and explore physical objects, such as their toys, and it is not long before they come to know the words that represent them - the words are an abstraction from reality. Later they will recognise pictures of them - another abstraction - and much later they will begin to associate written symbols with these toys.

Liebeck argues that a mathematics textbook for children, however carefully prepared, can be concerned only with the last two items of the sequence - pictures and books. No book for young children can start where they need to start, namely with experience and spoken language. Therefore, real activities are required in order for the concepts of mathematics to be taught effectively.

Properly taught, mathematics could one day be used by children to make sense of turbulent political times in an academic manner. Applying the concepts of math to a particular incident rather than focusing on scenes of blood and gore, could possibly lessen the emotional stress that arises after a violent act. Using math in every day life can help inspire children to make an effort to pursue studies of the discipline at a higher level in later years.

Wichit Chaitrong

The Nation
Friday January 12, 2007