Math Help

Math Help


why students can’t do math well

Frank Ho

BC certified math teacher

Founder of Ho Math and Chess Learning Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada

www.mathandchess.com

I was curious to find out why a child who is already grade 5 but could not do basic multiplication well despite how I explained to him in concepts. I was equally at a loss to try to find out why a grade 10 student who could only “see” how a problem can be done after I explained three times or write the solutions step by step and also allowed him to stop me at every step whenever it was necessary. In this case, I know the grade-10 student never 100% understood the math instruction in his day school because he could not stop his teacher’s instructions just for him on every computation step. For example, When factoring (x square – y square), the student just could not see how this problem can be done when the problem changes to (x + 1)square – (y+1)square.

After I did my own observations and thinking, I found out these problems have lots to do their math training while they were young other than their ability deficiency in basic math. They lack of training in the following areas:

1. Pattern: They have some difficulty in seeing patterns.

2. Visualization: They have difficulty to see the relationship between columns or rows or table to table or from numbers to graphics and vice versa.

3. Abstract: They seem to have difficulty to grasp abstract idea. Any problem requires students to do a conversion using abstract idea then they seem to run into problems.

To take care of these above-mentioned problems, Ho Math and Chess has created a series of workbooks to train children in the areas of patterns, symbols, and relationship using visualization.

The way we do it is to use our patent applied Geometry Chess Symbols and have created a series of one-of-its-kind workbooks such as iq puzzles, Frankho chess mazes, iq mathematical chess puzzles, word problems, and math contests to strongly increase their brainpower in number intelligence.

More information how to improve children’s math ability can be found at www.mathandchess.com.



Small Business Web Hosting

Math Help


prove Math Worksheets

Frank Ho, Amanda Yang

Teachers of Ho Math and Chess Learning Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada

www.mathandchess.com

Have you noticed that most of the paper and pencil style worksheets have not changed since many generations ago? Even today if you download some worksheets from web, most of these worksheets more or less look the same. From children’s mind, they are boring and repetitive. Based on our teaching experience, this is one of the reasons that children do not like to work on these traditional worksheets. When children do not have the opportunities to improve their fluency on their math basics, as a result their math ability is not good. We feel that these traditional math worksheets have their place to reinforce the math concepts learned but on the other hand, rote learning also turns children off in their learning enthusiasm and interest. We have been actively trying to improve our worksheets by integrating chess into our math worksheets so that they will become more interesting for children to work on and we think modern math worksheets shall posses certain characteristics to make worksheets fun to work with when compared to the traditional math worksheets.

One way of improving the traditional worksheets is through game-based teaching and we feel chess, which has been around over thousand years, is the best game to be incorporated into math and make math learning fun. By engaging children in math and chess integrated activities, children are more focused and feel less boring when compared to work on traditional worksheets.

When children working on pencil and paper type math and chess integrated worksheets, because those worksheets have multi-function so they can get children engaged on math activities longer by guiding them through a series of activities with patterns, table-look-ups, matching, sorting, comparing and finally requires children to conduct analysis to reach the conclusion. In our math teaching, children learn math in a fun and educational environment and children learn best while having fun because they want to actively participate and get involved.

More details on math and chess integrated teaching, visit www.mathandchess.com.

Math Help


What is Ho Math?

 

Frank Ho

 

BC certified math teacher

 

Founder of Ho Math and Chess Learning Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada

 

Ho Math is a special concept and game-based math teaching method especially designed for elementary students (from kindergarten to grade 7). It was invented in Canada by a Canadian math teacher Frank Ho.

 

How Ho Math was invented?

 

Below is a short description by Mr. Frank Ho.

 

When I was a teenager, I went to a few learning centers including general purpose and some specialty learning centers (like English only) and also went to my teacher’s home for preparing for junior high entrance examination. The purpose of these learning centers is for one simple reason that is to cram students with exam questions so students can get higher marks, there is no other real mission. None of these learning centers expanded or made to the international stage since they were geared to prepare for local exams and they exist or die depending on education policy in the area.

 

In recollection, I realized how wrong it was to learn something for the sole purpose to get better in exam, although I agree the marks are important and some employers only recognize marks for new graduates. But learning for the purpose of getting high marks without training to think is definitely wrong.

 

There are still many learning centers out there just mainly advocating kids to do computation or preparing for exams etc.  Their teaching style and way of running business is still the same as the learning centers I went when I was young, nothing much was changed. Since I realized the way of my learning was wrong when I grew old, I never wanted to teach my own kids the way learning centers were teaching me when I was young. I never sent my own kids to any learning centers until I set up my own learning center.

 

I never had a mind to start a supplemental education business except by coincidence. When my son was about 6 years old, he asked me what was the use of a chess set, which I left in the living room. It was given to me as a gift by my former colleagues at the Faculty of Education when I quit working at the University of British Columbia. My son’s curiosity got me thinking on how to “educate” him so he could learn chess and this led me to investigate on how math and chess are related. My research and study resulted in my invention of Geometry Chess Symbols.  When my son’s classmates’ parents told me that they would like to enroll in my tutoring classes, I knew I did not want to set up a learning center for the purpose of just cramming school stuff and for just getting higher marks. So I had the idea of using chess as a tool to train their critical thinking skills.

 

After my over 10 years of devotion in research and study the interrelation of math and chess and I found out that my teaching method of integrating math and chess in deed generates more interests in math for children than the traditional worksheets.

 

I found out that some kids’ progress were very slow or even stagnant, despite how hard I explained concepts or tried to teach them again and again. I discovered one major contributing factor, which caused the problem and this promoted me change the way I teach. I discovered that the weak math students tends to not like the IQ type of questions and the condition is reversed for strong math students under the condition these questions do not even require any math knowledge other than analyzing, comparing, sorting, or collating. This tells me that the weak math students perhaps have a problem that is their brains are not trained or fit for doing math problems (and thus they do not want to do much math problems.)  Because of this discovery, today Ho Math program consists of 5 major components:

 

1.    School math

2.    Chess and IQ mathematical chess puzzles

3.    Word problems

4.    IQ Puzzles

5.    Math Contests problems

 

Why Ho Math is unique and effective?

 

Ho Math is unique in its teaching philosophy and teaching method. To create the worksheets for the above 5 major components, Ho Math and Chess™ uses proprietary, copyrighted and patent applied intellectual properties such as Geometry Chess Symbols, Frankho Chess Mazes, Ho Math and Chess Teaching Set, and Universal Word problem Solving Tool.

 

Ho Math is created based on founder Frank’s belief that math learning must be effective and fun.  Ho Math is fun to work with and also it improves children’s math marks. It also improves children’s brainpower and at the same time, children also learn a social game, which will last life time. Chess is competitive and also a social game, it connects people and provides chance for improving social skills and improves children’s critical thinking skills. Chess is one of the best education manipulatives.

 

 

How Ho Math worksheets differ from others?

 

Ho Math is a math teaching method invented by a Canadian math teacher Frank Ho. Frank intrigued by the relationships between math and chess after teaching his son chess started Vancouver Ho Math and Chess™ tutoring & learning center over 10 years ago. His long-term devotion of research has led his son to become a FIDE chess master and also the publications of over 20 math and chess workbooks for children. The trademarked name “Ho Math and Chess ” reveals part of its history of “Ho Math and Chess” and its tradition.

 

Working on mathematical chess puzzles is an excellent way of improving problem-solving ability. By combining chess and math problems together, Frank wrote the world’s first math and chess integrated elementary student workbook for children.

 

Frank also invented Geometry Chess symbols and also Ho Math and Chess Teaching Set so that children as young as 4-year old can learn chess much easier than using the traditional 3-D chess set. Using Geometry Chess Symbol, Frank created the world’s first and copyrighted Frankho Chess Mazes.

 

The Illinois (USA) data has shown that Ho teaching method is statistically significant in raising students’ math marks.

 

Today, Ho Math and Chess ™ is an international brand name in franchised math specialty learning centre business. Ho Math and Chess ™ is the leader in the areas of research, marketing, and teaching integrated chess and math to elementary students.

 

Ho Math and Chess ™ learning center is the only supplemental education franchise dedicated to teaching children math using math and chess integrated workbooks. It is now the world largest franchised scholastic math and chess tutoring organization with worldwide locations to serve including offices in Vancouver, Canada. Mr. Frank Ho invented the unique Math and Chess teaching method in 1995. Today when people talk about Math and Chess, they think about the leading research organization in this highly specialized field – Ho Math and Chess. Ho Math and Chess and Math and Chess are synonyms. 

 

Ho Math and Chess offers one-of-its-kind and unique 5 subjects in 1 program, namely, math, IQ chess, IQ puzzles, and word problems, and math contests problems with paying only one fee.

 

What are the purposes of Ho Math?

 

The purposes of Ho Math teaching method are to:

 

·       Raise math marks.

·       Improve critical thinking ability.

·       Improve chess ability.

·       Improve brainpower.

 

Math Help


How to Find a Good Vancouver Summer Program on Math

 

Frank Ho, Amanda Yang

 

Teachers at Ho Math and Chess Learning Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada

 

www.mathandchess.com

 

We have been running an math specialty learning center in Vancouver for over 10 years and also both of our children went to all kinds of summer programs in Vancouver so we would like to share our own experience on how to find a good summer math camp or math program offered by learning centers in Vancouver. There are a few tale signs one can use to screen summer programs and these earlier warning signs can be used equally to evaluate summer programs offered in other cities as well.

 

1.     To teach what one knows the best.

 

Check out if the math program offered is the learning center’s expertise. If an math learning center all the sudden starts to offer computer course without up-to-dated hardware or a computer room in place then you may wonder if the learning center is out to make a quick buck? Or if the learning center is teaching mainly math but start to offer Chinese chess or other courses in the summer and the director or owner has no interest in playing chess then you may start to wonder what is their teaching philosophy or intention to offer these “out-of-core” courses?

           

2.     Check out the learning center’s teaching philosophy.

 

What is the learning center’s teaching philosophy of offering the summer math program? What kind of teaching method is being used? If the learning center cannot explain clearly to you but only copies other center’s ideas then this serves as a warning sign that you may have sent children to a wrong place.

 

The important deciding factor is don’t go to a place where the math and chess teaching is not their specialty if you want to have children to learn both math and chess in a fun way. Don’t go to a place to learn chess where the owner or director does not even know anything about chess or has nothing to say about its teaching philosophy.

 

Do diligently and carefully check out the facility offered. The worst is parents did not check out facility and send children to a place where no suitable facility is offered such as a separate computer room or a separate chess play room.

 

Ho Math and Chess offers unique and one-of-a-kind math and chess integrated and patented worksheets. We are the leader in math and chess integrated teaching and we are also the only place in Vancouver offering math and chess integrated teaching to raise children’s math marks, train their critical thinking skill and also boost their brainpower by playing chess. There must be a reason why Ho Math and Chess has over 30 locations worldwide, check it out at www.mathandchess.com.



Hide Folders