One-two-easy: The maths club

A group that aims to subtract the fear out of maths while multiplying the fun factor has come to Dubai.

US-based international franchise Mathnasium is trying to show children and adults alike that number-crunching does not have to be a scary experience.

Mathnasium uses what it calls “number sense'' to solve maths problems piece by piece, often using interesting examples from real life.

Fear of the unknown

“People fear maths because they don't understand it,'' said Claudia Rumie, Managing Partner, Mathnasium (UAE).

“But we all use maths in our daily lives – we just don't look at it that way. You are doing it when you give back change or pay your bills.''

She said if more people knew even the simpler maths rules, like the fact that ‘per cent' means ‘per hundred', it would make their life – and exams – much easier.

“Just break it down. Three per cent of 200 is just three per cent of 100, plus three per cent of 100 – that's six,'' she explained.

And instead of using fingers to count fractions, Rumie said, people should give other objects like pizza slices and candy bars a chance to solve maths problems.

“You can count in fives by looking at the clock; multiples of the number two just mean you double everything; and just add a zero when you multiply by ten.''

Mathnasium students have to take a written test and give an interview before they sign up, to see what their strengths and weaknesses are.

After that, a study programme is tailored for each pupil. They usually sit for two classes a week.

“It doesn't interfere with any method of teaching in any school. We just try to present maths in a way that makes sense to them. It could be games or things called ‘manipulatives','' said Rumie.

According to research by EyeCues Education Systems, Mathnasium students' performance increased over two letter grades between three and six months.

“I like numbers – they are easy,'' said six-year-old Federico Membrillera, adding weight to Mathnasium's claims.