I have to tell you, I really don’t understand what’s so bad about counting on your fingers. They’re like a built-in abacus that goes everywhere with us. We have ten fingers, ten is the basic mathematical unit … I mean, it’s like they were meant to be together, and yet, all over the place, all the time, I hear parents say to their children, “Don’t count on your fingers.” I ask, why not?
I happen to be a very visual learner, and I happen to not be good at math. I need all the help I can get, and if holding up some fingers will help me arrive at the correct answer, well, by George, that’s what I’ll do. I’d rather look a little silly with my hands up in the air than arrive at the wrong answer and end up making a mistake that could prove costly.
I do understand that the goal is to help the student learn how to do math in his head, and that’s an awesome goal. But let’s be realistic. How many students will actually achieve that goal? Only those whose brains are wired that way to begin with. Many students are more geared toward art or English or drama, and math is a struggle for them. They may never be able to solve a long math equation in their head, and do you know what? That’s okay. If they can get the right answer on paper, and yes, even with using their fingers, there’s nothing wrong with that. The point is, do they know how to do the math? If the answer is yes, what else matters?
I shall now make another shocking confession. I actually teach my children to do math using their fingers. (I know … call the math police.) But it helps them “get” the concept so much more quickly, and by using their bodies while they are using their brains, the information gets encoded twice instead of just once. I do have reasons behind my madness …
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I can’t type anymore. I need to use my fingers to figure something out.
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