Students play to lose – lose fear for math, that is

KEARNS — Teacher Connie Aiello’s kindergarten classroom was filled. The odd thing is that it was dark outside and there were some oversized students playing games on the floor.

Well, at least that was my first impression. When up-close, I could see the oversized kids were actually parents solving mathematical problems with their children.

The purpose of Math Night at Saint Francis Xavier Regional School is to have parents realize it is "easy to incorporate math in every day life," said Aiello, who was one of the coordinators for this event.

Math night offers students a different experience, an opportunity to be in the classroom at night. Students share this with their friends and "attendance gets higher year after year," said Aiello.

Parents also have fun with the games and get a chance to mingle without the morning rush, said Mindy Manzanares while playing with her husband Anthony and their 5-year-old Jamisin. "The younger, the better," said Manzanares about her daughter’s understanding of numbers.

Aiello thinks the same way; hence, she decided to include pre-school children this year.

"A lot of children develop a fear for math at an early age," said Barbara Keyser, second grade teacher at St. Francis. On Math Night "Students get to see that math is not just drill and kill; it can be fun. Making mistakes is part of the game," she said.

In Keyser’s classroom there were about 17 second and third-graders with their parents.

The agenda included math facts, problem solving and probability; but parents also learned about how "they can present math in a stimulating environment and in a positive matter," said Keyser. "The parents come away with a positive experience as much as the kids. Some have come up to me saying ‘I’ve learned a lot.’"

With older students, grades sixth through eighth, the biggest challenge is to keep them engaged and focused. "They like to change activities," said Vicky Simpson, sixth grade teacher. She blamed the short attention span on the technology available. "They go from getting a text (message) to instant video," said Simpson.

However, technology can also be an ally. Students and parents in her classroom used the graphic calculator as a tool to solve problems that night. But for sixth grader Elijah McQuillan playing sudoku was the highlight of the event. Sudoku is a Japanese puzzle with numbers that requires logic and critical thinking. "It’s fun and challenging," he said.

Just like math.