HOW DOES MATH HELP US IN REAL LIFE?
Never changing the ultimate question about Mathematics is “When are we ever going to use this?”
As a math teacher, the most common and stable question that I should answer is always the same. Starting from the primary years, students start questioning the usage of Mathematical concepts which they learn in school. While they are growing up, the question never changes. During middle and high school years, the same question arises when they get stuck with a problem or a concept. When this happens, they usually tend to deny learning it. They claim that they never use it in real life so that they do not need to know it. Here is how we use math and how it helps us in practice;
The usage of mathematics is more than relating it with real life or making sense of the real world. Mathematics shape your brain. It influences the way you think, the way you behave and how you manage your life. While dealing with one simple arithmetic, brain muscles are built with many correlations among brain cells. But how does math do it? Specifically;
- It creates a base for systematic thinking
- It develops and improves the ability to analyze and solve problems
- It brings flexibility which prepares the brain for unfamiliar conditions
- Through trial and error in math, the brain learns how to integrate different principals to conclude with a logical answer
- It develops the caution and care system by solving complex math problems to conclude with a correct answer.
One simple arithmetical operation triggers your brain cells and forms your logical, analytical, reasoning thinking skills so how and what you think also. We need to think outside of the box and see the big picture. Nothing else but Math can do all the things listed above and much more. We have to be aware of its’ benefits and let it do its’ work for us. For example, students who are interested in doing Math never ask the question “When are we going to use it?” since they already know that they are using it and asking that question does not help.
To recap, we can not deny using our brains as long as we live since otherwise we can not survive. So, my advice is to look at math in another way that we never looked and realize the big picture. We can reach our maximum potentials only if we feed our brains and mathematics is an indispensable part to do that.
GÜNEŞ GÖRKEN
