Teaching Math to Kids: We Need New Media!
We are entering the world of a global economy. Unfortunately this brave new world poses a serious and formidable challenge to the United States. The problem is that our children are just not showing much interest or skills in the areas of math, engineering, science, or technology. As the workers of the baby boomer generation start to retire, we not only need to fill these jobs, but prepare our young people to compete for the global jobs of the future. Could the media of the math comic book be part of the solution to the problem?
This global economy in which we find ourselves in is based on science and math and technology. Labor and business statistics tell us that growth in these areas will increase 70% faster than those of other areas. That's a huge jump. It's nothing short of tragic that our kids are not showing the interest required in these areas. How are we as a nation going to compete if they don't?
It appears that those kids in "Middle School" need to be helped the most. We are told that it's just "not cool" to be good in the maths and sciences when you are a teenager, so we need to encourage and support our kids to learn math and sciences before the "peer pressure" of these years starts to influence and take hold. What if we don't take these steps? Well, our nation will suffer in the future.
For whatever reason, boys seem to show more of an interest in math than girls. Did you know that young women now outnumber men in our college campuses now? Despite this fact, in many engineering disciplines women make up less than 20% of students. Professions that utilize math and science need to promote themselves as more "women friendly". This will encourage our young girls to see a future in the maths and sciences they are learning at a young age.
New media tools are needed, and fast. Children need to have the wonders of math encouraged and reinforced by new medium, such as the Internet. They need to be shown how math can enrich their lives, and how it relates to their interests in such things as sports (i.e.: batting average statistics), music (i.e.: music is very mathematical), and fashion (i.e.: length's and measures). They need to be shown that rather than a pain, math can be fun and exciting, and lead to a very rewarding career as well.
Could a math comic "fit the bill" as one of these "new media tools"? While comics have been around for years and years, they have been mostly used to entertain. We all grew up with comics relating stories of super heroes or talking mice or young romance. They were fun and entertaining, and certainly great to read in the back seat of the car on the ride to grandma's house...but what of their entertainment value? Kids love comics, and if we can utilize the comic book medium to introduce math to them, they will be entertained, and educated in math at the same time.
If you would like to learn more about educating our kids via the math comic strips format, please visit our blog. We are passionate about this subject, and would love to get your feedback on how we can help to promote this lofty yet worthwhile goal. - 21393
This global economy in which we find ourselves in is based on science and math and technology. Labor and business statistics tell us that growth in these areas will increase 70% faster than those of other areas. That's a huge jump. It's nothing short of tragic that our kids are not showing the interest required in these areas. How are we as a nation going to compete if they don't?
It appears that those kids in "Middle School" need to be helped the most. We are told that it's just "not cool" to be good in the maths and sciences when you are a teenager, so we need to encourage and support our kids to learn math and sciences before the "peer pressure" of these years starts to influence and take hold. What if we don't take these steps? Well, our nation will suffer in the future.
For whatever reason, boys seem to show more of an interest in math than girls. Did you know that young women now outnumber men in our college campuses now? Despite this fact, in many engineering disciplines women make up less than 20% of students. Professions that utilize math and science need to promote themselves as more "women friendly". This will encourage our young girls to see a future in the maths and sciences they are learning at a young age.
New media tools are needed, and fast. Children need to have the wonders of math encouraged and reinforced by new medium, such as the Internet. They need to be shown how math can enrich their lives, and how it relates to their interests in such things as sports (i.e.: batting average statistics), music (i.e.: music is very mathematical), and fashion (i.e.: length's and measures). They need to be shown that rather than a pain, math can be fun and exciting, and lead to a very rewarding career as well.
Could a math comic "fit the bill" as one of these "new media tools"? While comics have been around for years and years, they have been mostly used to entertain. We all grew up with comics relating stories of super heroes or talking mice or young romance. They were fun and entertaining, and certainly great to read in the back seat of the car on the ride to grandma's house...but what of their entertainment value? Kids love comics, and if we can utilize the comic book medium to introduce math to them, they will be entertained, and educated in math at the same time.
If you would like to learn more about educating our kids via the math comic strips format, please visit our blog. We are passionate about this subject, and would love to get your feedback on how we can help to promote this lofty yet worthwhile goal. - 21393
About the Author:
Learn more about Math Comics. Stop by Matthew Smith's site where you can find out all about comic books that teach math.
posted by X - Men @ 7:35 AM
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