Ask any child and their parents, and they will probably tell you that maths is among their least favoured school subjects – which makes the following news so astounding.
Researchers in the US believe that they have found a really simple way to ‘significantly’ improve a child’s maths skills – and it comes down to a dot test!
A team at Johns Hopkins University has released a study report claiming that using a dot test to get children to use their ‘intuitive, gut number sense’ can – at least temporarily – open the gateways to a better understanding of maths.
As part of their research, the team gathered together a group of 40 five-year-olds and showed them a video featuring a collection of blue dots and another one, consisting of yellow dots.
The dots were flashed up on the screen, but not long enough for the children to count – so, when they were asked whether there were more blue or yellow dots, they had to rely on instinct alone.
Some of the children were asked questions of varying difficulty regarding the dots, and then the group were asked to complete a standardised maths test.
The results showed that kids who completed the easier questions and then advanced onto more difficult ones displayed ‘significantly’ improved maths capabilities, after first carrying out the dot test.
While one researcher, Jinjing Wang, said the study shows maths ability to be ‘changeable’, fellow researcher Lisa Feigenson said they may have just stumbled upon something very significant.
“By making kids better at doing these really simple dot judgments, we also made them better at school-based maths – at least temporarily,” she said.
