I vividly recall my first week in second grade at a new school, sitting at my desk tackling a two-digit addition problem that required carrying numbers. As I instinctively began counting with my fingers, my teacher walked by and scolded me, insisting, “Never count on your fingers; do it in your head.” The truth was, I couldn’t do it in my head, and when I tried, I still visualized my fingers. Like many others, I kept my hands hidden beneath my desk and continued my calculations in secrecy. I excelled in math—at least until trigonometry came along, but that’s a different story altogether.
It appears I wasn’t alone in this habit. Numerous young students rely on finger counting, and even though some educators continue to discourage it, research indicates that using fingers is perfectly normal—and even beneficial. In fact, studies reveal that counting on fingers can enhance mathematical skills. Who would have guessed?
According to Dr. Anna Fischer, a professor at a prominent university, and her colleague Mark Lee, there’s compelling evidence from behavioral and neuroscience research that supports this practice. They note in The Education Journal that training to perceive and represent fingers leads to improved mathematical performance. How encouraging is that?
The authors reference a 2015 study demonstrating that a specific region in our brains is dedicated to the “perception and representation of fingers.” This area, known as the “somatosensory finger area,” activates even when we’re not physically using our fingers for calculations. The research showed that when children aged 8 to 13 were given complex subtraction tasks, this brain area lit up, indicating its involvement, even if the students weren’t using their fingers.
This is not just fascinating; it’s also validating for those of us who have relied on our fingers for math. It turns out we were perfectly normal all along. Further research has found that children who use their fingers to count tend to perform better in math. In fact, the more adept a first grader was at finger counting, the higher their scores on number comparison and estimation in second grade. Even college students showed a correlation between their finger perception and calculation abilities.
One reason finger counting is so prevalent and effective is that mathematics is inherently visual, as Fischer and Lee explain. Unfortunately, it’s only in recent years that math educators have begun to embrace this reality. Current educational approaches, like Common Core, have at least partially acknowledged the importance of visual learning in math.
Fingers serve as one of our most valuable visual aids, and the brain’s finger area remains active into adulthood. Preventing children from using their fingers during math calculations could hinder their mathematical development, a fact educators should take seriously.
Of course, not every child needs to rely on their fingers to solve math problems. My older son can perform calculations effortlessly in his head, which I find perplexing. However, many of us possess a well-developed somatosensory finger area in our brains, and yes, we should embrace it. Even at 40 years old, I still count on my fingers and no longer feel guilty about it; in fact, it turns out I’m quite clever for doing so.
If you’re interested in more about home insemination, check out this informative post. For those looking to navigate their fertility journey, this resource is an authority on the subject. Additionally, for insight into what to expect during your first IUI, this article is excellent.
In summary, using fingers in math class is not just a childhood habit but a valuable tool for developing mathematical skills. Research supports the idea that finger counting enhances comprehension and problem-solving abilities, making it a practice that should be encouraged rather than discouraged.
Leave a Reply