A meme is trending on the Internet at the expense of math teachers. It goes something like this: “Remember your math teacher saying ‘You won’t have a calculator everywhere you go?’ Haha. They were wrong!”
A picture of a smartphone then follows as proof of said teacher’s mistake. But hang on a second.
A picture of a smartphone then follows as proof of said teacher’s mistake. But hang on a second.
Calculators are ubiquitous. But former math students shouldn’t be gloating. Always-at-hand calculators have made us lose our mental numeracy. And that’s a bad thing. Because numeracy goes beyond numbers. It allows us to reason and solve problems in both our professional and personal lives.
Numeracy is closely linked with self-esteem, which in turn affects decision-making. When we solve a math challenge, we gain confidence and the ability to navigate life situations with positivity and innate self-belief.
In working with business numbers, as with mental arithmetic, practice builds confidence, and confidence encourages practice.
The more confident managers feel around financial statements the more they use them, and the more insights they gain about their business. The result is better decisions.
We educators are first and foremost in the confidence building business.
Peter
Numeracy is closely linked with self-esteem, which in turn affects decision-making. When we solve a math challenge, we gain confidence and the ability to navigate life situations with positivity and innate self-belief.
In working with business numbers, as with mental arithmetic, practice builds confidence, and confidence encourages practice.
The more confident managers feel around financial statements the more they use them, and the more insights they gain about their business. The result is better decisions.
We educators are first and foremost in the confidence building business.
Peter
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