Modern math gets a make-over

The way children are being taught math in schools has changed radically over time - and just in the space of twenty or so years. A recent story on NPR describes how math classes in American schools stress the use of technology to produce charts, graphs, and spreadsheets, putting less emphasis on mental computation. As a result, kids are becoming more adept at manipulating laptops and plugging formulas into Microsoft Excel. However, when it comes to doing math quickly without the aid of modern gadgets, many children are at a loss. Memorizing the multiplication tables is now considered a feat worthy of excessive praise - just imagine not using a calculator!

As with any change, there are pluses and minuses to these new developments. Sure, America's children are learning how to operate technological devices that will surely come in handy in the business world. But are they prepared to compute solo under pressure? What areas of the brain are being left behind in this massive tech race to the top?

And remember to check out the blurb at the end of the NPR article, "The Way You Learned Math Is So Old School," which denies the existence of the so-called "math gene," which supposedly enables some people to excel in math more easily than others. Apparently most of us perform equally well when it comes to doing math in everyday situations. Yet, when faced with pen and paper (or, in the case of America's schoolchildren, calculator and spreadsheet), some of us undergo a "brain freeze" that slows down our thinking reflexes and halts performance. It all comes down to a test of confidence, and researchers claim that a little more of the "Yes, we can!" spirit could solve most of our mathematical dilemmas.