Marina Yardaeva How to put our children’s minds in order About math problems in exams 24.06.2023, 10:29

In the Novosibirsk region, more than a third of ninth graders passed the OGE in mathematics with a double. In Yakutsk, parents want them to double-check the results of a similar exam, they sin because of failures in the system, because in some schools almost half of the ninth graders did not pass the threshold. There is a major bottleneck in the Unified State Examination in Mari El with specialization mathematics, 45% of graduates did not get a satisfactory result to apply to universities, i.e. they scored below 39 points. In the Penza region, mathematics was chosen as the problem of the year – apparently, so as not to frighten people, the results of the exams were not announced. The news is, of course, depressing. Even after the mathematically disastrous 2021 and 2022, when in some regions from a quarter to a third of ninth graders and 15-20% of 11th graders fail the exam. After all, it seems that people must have at least drawn some conclusions. But unfortunately.

To understand the scale of what is happening, it is probably worth remembering what OGE and USE are. I’ll start with the first. The 9th grade math exam is not divided into difficulty levels and is quite simple. A total of 7 points is required for 3. To do this, you actually need to complete five simple tasks, two in math and two in geometry. Many tasks can be completed even by an elementary school student. For example, to find the area of ​​a hallway in the plan, you just need to count the cells and calculate how many boxes of parquet boards you need for the floor in the living room. two simple arithmetic operations. The easiest tasks in geometry correspond to the 7th grade curriculum. And given that schoolchildren on the exam receive extensive reference materials with formulas, graphs, tables with homework, logic suggests that those who skipped all classes in general in high school should also find the area of ​​\u200b\u200ba triangle or trapezoid. by simply changing the required values. But for some reason the logic doesn’t work here.

As for the exam, here the exam is divided into basic and profile. Generally there is no problem with the base, the percentage of duos fluctuates 2-3% from year to year. But the nuance is that this exam is even easier than the 9th grade, and those who drop out of school in the same 9th grade and those who did not go to the old vocational school pass it. Also, in grade 11 there are no mandatory requirements to show knowledge of the basics of geometry on the exam, and some tasks seem to be taken from primary school textbooks. The minimum score for a twenty-minute triple in basic USE in math can easily be scored by a fourth grader. I’ve verified this experimentally with my own son and did the experiment three times just to be sure (I’m a heartless person).

Profile math is of course more difficult. There’s logarithms with integrals, trigonometry with functions, and other “terrible” stuff out there. But the thing is, the profile math is chosen voluntarily. Those who will go to a technical university are chosen by engineers or programmers. Like it or not, you have to match. Otherwise, what’s the point of everything? To pass the profile, many people have been working closely with private tutors for two years, additionally studying in private courses, and there are still those who can not cope. Not because they couldn’t pass the university threshold, but because they couldn’t even get points to get a certificate. From where?

There are only two easy answers. Teachers blame irresponsible kids for everything. Let’s say they do nothing, hoping to take the exam, write, bring the phone and cheat sheets.

But this is funny. Believe it or not, you also need energy to do nothing in class. Even more than reading. Eternally avoiding the teacher’s nagging, constantly succeeding in writing check sheets, inventing plans, preparing tricky clues – this is also a chore. It is easier to understand and solve everything on your own. At least at the level required by the school curriculum. But even here the logic does not work.

The second answer is given by the parents of the unfortunate Losers. This is what we have, they say, education, teachers do not teach anything, and in general the teachers themselves are losers, what will they get from them.

The current school really has a lot of problems, you can’t argue, and the competition for teacher training universities is not high, most of them go there out of desperation. However! It has to do with the fact that some basic knowledge and skills are not acquired. The fact that two and two make four can be taught by a Papuan to a Papuan. Yes, it is incredible, but there are already problems with the multiplication table itself. There are children who go to 9th grade without knowing or understanding this table.

As for scary teachers, there is another objection. Purely statistically, teachers may not just be professionally fit in math. But there are no such terrible problems, for example, in Russian. At least in the 9th grade, or even in the 11th grade, the rate of those who cannot pass this place often does not exceed 1-2%. And yet, presentations and articles should be written there. And even the heaviest children, even if their vocabulary is weak, even according to a template, but they write these texts in triplicate, somehow still put the words into sentences and acquire a minimum volume.

It seems to me that the reason for this can be found in this comparison. I have a hypothesis. Children do not understand mathematics because they are not taught from early childhood to perceive the mathematical world. Language is innate with us. The baby first hears the mother and father talk, then begins to speak, it is not possible to communicate with the world in a different way, but communication is necessary – it is a matter of survival. Again, culture. Even the most backward parents, if they don’t read books to their children, at least try to buy them. And in the vast majority of families, math passes. Before school they sometimes get guides on how to write numbers for kids and that’s it.

But after all, the child has the same need for the development of counting skills as for the development of speech. The world is full of both simple arithmetic and complex mathematics, geometry is ubiquitous, and human existence also needs a perpetual order of logical chaos.

The important thing is to have something to organize. Brains should be adjusted accordingly. And what does the mind put in order according to the principles of our universal genius Lomonosov? And of course, the sooner you get involved in this adjustment process, the better.

And with young children, you have to add, subtract, multiply and divide, not just count the steps in the stairwell or the trees in the park. Yes, kids can do it all before school. And they want. They are interested. Yes, divide and multiply. and solve the equations. And determine speed with distance. But of course only in game form. There is no terminology. Without all these terms, subtracted, factors and unknowns. There is no special allowance. Without early development centers with all their mental arithmetic. Just between daily activities.

It is clear that it is better to train on cats in terms of apples, mushrooms, sweets, pies (fractions!) and spending money (to get closer to real life). And you can do all this in 4-5 years. In that blessed age of reason. Some parents are currently trying to fill their children with simple factual information, encyclopedic summaries about dinosaurs and constellations. It’s just the information itself in the head doesn’t linger. It is better to try to explain phenomena, give certain skills, logical, and with them to form nerve chains – and this is just mathematics. Task, solution and answer – such a sequence should be taught from early childhood. And gradually move on to the language of abstract numbers and symbols. We went to the water park – and on the way we solved the samples, went to the store – we calculated this multiplication table.

What about school? Do you have to teach? Necessary. And counting, reading, writing. And it teaches. It’s just abstract. At school the terms and sum, subtract and difference, divisors and quotient are found immediately. Immediately definitions, formulas, rules. In first grade, just a little about mushrooms and apples, and then diagrams. Yes, probably not. Especially when it comes to today’s children who are practically freed from the need for intellectual compulsion. But this. And whoever gets acquainted with arithmetic before school wins.

If you want to give children an advantage, work with them, play, count, add, divide. 10-15 minutes a day.

Already missed? My son is going into third grade and does math float? grow up. Yes, it will take more time: 20-30 minutes. Back to the basics, mushrooms and apples, leave the textbooks with their terminology aside. Did your daughter go to seventh grade without knowing the multiplication tables and did not understand anything in geometry? And at this age you can improve the situation. And without teachers. But again, you have to start over. Because learning the multiplication tables is useless if there is no basic understanding. And when such understanding comes, there is no need to teach – everything will come out by itself. Only practice is required.

Summer, holidays, have a good time. I am not interested? Is it easier to accuse children of being lazy and teachers of being unprofessional? This too is a choice. Do you know just what? According to probability theory, nine-tenths of this choice will not lead your children to success.

The author expresses his personal opinion, which may not coincide with the editors’ position.