We have been told for years using your fingers in math is "babyish" and something that should be discouraged and abandoned as quickly as possible. However, brain researchers are reporting the opposite.
There is clear agreement that finger knowledge is critical. Studies show that we "see" a representation of our fingers in our brains, even when we do not use fingers in the calculation.
Other researchers have found that the better students’ knowledge of their fingers was in the first grade, the higher they scored on number comparison and estimation in the second grade. Even university students’ finger perception predicted their calculation scores.
Stopping students from using their fingers when they count could, according to the new brain research, be akin to halting their mathematical development. Fingers are probably one of our most useful visual aids, and the finger area of our brain is used well into adulthood. The need for and importance of finger perception could even be the reason that pianists, and other musicians, often display higher mathematical understanding than people who don’t learn a musical instrument.
Finger use is part of a larger group of brain studies showing the importance of visual engagement with math. Visual math is powerful for all learners. Early development of visual work, regularly asking students how they see math ideas and to draw what they see builds a strong base for the later development of abstract math ideas.
Click to read the Full Article for more information and ideas you can use with your children.
