Friday, September 25, 2009

KS3 Maths Closes The Learning Gap

By Luke Redding

The KS3 maths program is an essential gap closing learning tool that is aimed at developing math skills that are applicable and relevant to the process of learning. Students are able to develop their previously missed skills in order to handle the new challenges of other skills. It has been determined that those children who are able to excel in their math courses do so because they are able to understand math on a conceptual basis rather than memorization.

The greatest lingering problem in our math classes is memorization versus comprehension. Memorizing is a systematic memory skill developed to come up with right answer. Comprehension is an concept based understanding that allows a student to continually apply old skills to new skills to develop an entire mathematical language comprehension.

In other words, memorizing math skills is like memorizing the list of contractions used in the English language without understanding what a contraction really is. Without understanding why the contraction is what it is, how can we expect a student to know that they can create two words from one? Math skills are the same concept. When there are memorization techniques used that hinder actual comprehension, there are large learning gaps in a child's ability to understand math.

This is why the KS3 maths program is so successful. It not only offers students a long range program that builds on skill learned and mastered in the KS2 maths program, but it also focuses on developing the concepts that might have been missed along the way. When the student understands that concepts new skills become much less intimidating to learn and apply.

The KS3 maths program works well with the KS4 maths program provided that the student has a strong mastery of the Ks2 maths program. You want to ensure that your child has a strong ladder to climb when developing their mathematical skills, and making sure that they have a mastery level that makes them ready for the KS3 maths program is essential. Otherwise they are just trying once again to develop skills through basic memorization because they are missing previous concepts.

Math is more than memorization. In fact, studies show that children that start using memorization techniques as early as their addition and multiplication develop a learning skill that will work against them. If kids could learn to "read" math as a conceptual language, their struggles would be minimized and it is much more likely that we would see an increase in math based successes. Memorization leaves too much room for developing the educational gaps that are widely recognized throughout our math students.

By addressing this basic problem, many of today's parents and teachers are thrilled to find how the KS3 maths program helps students understand a greater application to the math skills that they learn. It simply makes learning math an easier and more developed process. When you consider that the strengths of students are categorized into two main learning styles, programs like this can address both learning styles and capitalize on the natural strengths of the students.

Once a child starts fall behind in math is has previously been very difficult to get them to catch up again. Even with chronic tutoring, unless the student can be taught the conceptualization, catching up to their peers is a huge task. Prevention is a much better angle.

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