Math Curriculum: Areas of Math Education

Understanding your child’s math curriculum and important areas of math education

The subjects taught to your children in school as part of their math curriculum are elementary math that includes basic math operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division), algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, and statistics. These areas of math education were developed out of four basic necessities: the need for commerce, the need to relate between numbers, the need to measure land, and the need to predict astronomical events. Knowing this helps both you and your child to understand the practicality of every math subject.

In the field of commerce, there is a need to study quantities. Arithmetic - the addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of numbers - exists because of this need. You can help enrich children’s understanding of basic arithmetic using money. For example, if one piece of candy costs 5 cents, how many candies can be bought for one dollar? Another exercise could be asking a child how much change is due at the checkout register for a determined payment amount. Arithmetic also deals with the relationship between numbers and the properties of numbers, which are studied further in algebra.

The study of physical space, or geometry, has helped civilizations to construct buildings and plan cities. The mathematical theories developed by Greek mathematicians helped develop ancient monuments like Stonehenge on the British Isles. Calculus, studied in grades 9-12, assumes the task of describing changes in the natural world.

Trigonometry, an offshoot of geometry, is a more specific study of space that uses angles and triangles, described and calculated using special trigonometric functions. You can ask children to calculate the shortest distance between two points using a triangle to help them understand trigonometry.

Statistics, or the study of probability, is used in many sciences, including meteorology. Meteorologists gather weather data and use statistics to calculate the probability and intensity of storms like hurricanes. Statistics is also very important in sports. If your child has a special interest in sports, consider a math activity that combines the use of sports statistics and probability.