September 24, 2023

What’s The Big Deal About Math?

What really makes this educational discipline so integral to our learning as humans?

Math, as a whole, has become such an intrinsic part of comprehensive education. 

Without the calculated use of numbers, shapes, equations, and so much more- we wouldn’t have made nearly as many advancements we use in our daily lives today! Isn’t that crazy?

Although math is a subject many people have a hard time grasping, it’s greatly applicable to assure our general wellbeing. Those who are more adept in the field have the power to alter the course of our evolution- FOREVER. And even those who don’t choose to make a career out of it can still possess applicable life skills to make their daily living that much easier.

Math was originally discovered and used to construct empires and their systems of living in ancient times. Nowadays, it’s applied to nearly everything from cooking to architecture to dance choreography. We measure and calculate and articulate so many things in our habitual lifestyle it’s easy to overlook how much math we exercise consistently.

What makes math SO important, you ask?

Well, here are six core reasons why Math is incredibly important to include in a diversified model of education:

1. Math promotes critical thinking skills: Critical thinking is an important skill covering a breadth of other cognitive abilities such as analysis, interpretation, inference, explanation, self-regulation, open-mindedness, and problem-solving. Math utilizes its kind of critical thinking to get students (or anyone using it) to brainstorm reasoned decisions to approach particular problems. Rather than guessing or applying a rule without testing its validity, they have to be able to concoct educated judgments that best suit the necessary solution to the problem.
2. Truth be told, STEM is the future: STEM includes varying math-oriented disciplines such as science, engineering, and technology. These are fields able to help our technological evolution progress, so it’s incredibly important to implement the fundamental learnings that provide the solid basis for pursuing and studying such prominent endeavors.
3. Logical thinking is a communicable life skill: Unlike critical thinking, logical thinking is how to evaluate the processes behind the reasoning. Critical thinking uses logic and its core principles to separate truth from falsehood. However, it doesn’t focus on said reasoning specifically. Solidifying a strong math education, especially for those at a young age, can empower them to make creative yet careful decisions.
4. Math productively teaches about failure: Look, we’ve all experienced an excruciatingly difficult math problem we SWORE we would be unable to solve. But sure enough, that’s one of the most crucial lessons math teaches us- failure is the opportunity to learn even more. When someone fails to solve a problem, they have the option to give up or attempt the problem again. If they choose to try again, this strengthens their learning process; if not, then they’re stuck in a limiting belief they can’t achieve a resolution. Math subtly emphasizes that failure is a part of reality, and we have the choice to turn it into something greater.
5. Math ALSO exemplifies the importance of a growth mindset: Math has the power to teach us that competence is an ever-evolving process- NOT a limited set of skills. Combining a growth mindset with the reality of failure prepares young students to attack their decision-making with patience and an awareness that they have the power to reach their end goal! These are two very essential skills in optimal social, emotional, and cognitive development.
6. It helps strengthen financial literacy skills for the future: There comes a day where many of us are given the choice to inhabit the responsibility of supporting ourselves (and in some cases, others). Math is so deeply ingrained into financial processes, it’s unavoidable when taking on those monetary tasks. If you assess and incorporate strong math education at an early age, financial literacy is much more likely to be retained at an easier and faster rate!

Mathematics is so deeply incorporated into our daily functions, and the mechanic behind our most used tools, that it’s nearly impossible to avoid. Our societal standard of success is based greatly upon our inherent ability to make informed, sound, logical decisions; we don’t even realize how much math helps us to condition this technique! 

If you encounter a young student with a difficulty in learning math, now is the time to encourage these key principles. Math can be taught in environments outside of the traditional classroom, such as the kitchen or certain extracurriculars. Although that young child may not NEED math for their future professional endeavors, it’s still going to be a functional skill once they reach adulthood. 

Even though math is a meticulous discipline, it has the power to better our means of thriving. And without it, who knows where we’d all be!