Some people, no matter how many years of practice they get trying to do simple math in their heads, just never learn to do well. Could there be an explanation for this – an explanation for instance that gets them off the hook? Well, research at the Johns Hopkins University actually may be able to do that. Apparently, some of us are just genetically hopeless at math (as if anyone needed proof of that). Math education really would benefit from a bit of awareness of this.
Apparently, to do well in math, a person needs something that the researchers call a number sense. What is a number sense, you ask? Take for instance how some people can look into a doctor's waiting room or something for just a second, and come away with an impression of exactly how many people there are there. They don't even need to count. Some people can just know how many minutes have passed since a phone call started or something.
Apparently, to do well in math, a person needs something that the researchers call a number sense. What is a number sense, you ask? Take for instance how some people can look into a doctor's waiting room or something for just a second, and come away with an impression of exactly how many people there are there. They don't even need to count. Some people can just know how many minutes have passed since a phone call started or something.