It is no secret that mathematics is a powerful tool for developing a child's intelligence. Studies have shown that there is a strong correlation between a child's relational abilities and their IQ scores. Through the practice of mathematics, children not only hone their relational skills, but they also sharpen their own learning process and ability to learn. Dr.
Attridge has demonstrated that studying higher mathematics (at the advanced secondary and university levels) leads to an increase in logical capacity. In particular, math students become more skeptical in their reasoning and begin to think more critically. Recent studies have discredited the concept of innate mathematical ability. Instead, these studies suggest that math skills can be improved with patience and consistent practice.
Many teachers and educators agree with this statement. Memory, executive control, and visuospatial reasoning can all help to increase one's levels of intelligence. The best way to train these areas of the brain is to participate in well-thought-out activities and games, learn new skills, and keep the brain active. In a vindication of demanding tiger moms around the world, effective study techniques and motivation, not IQ, predicted who had improved their math skills the most in tenth grade.
Opinion polls have revealed that people in Eastern countries tend to rate effort as the most important thing for mathematical ability, while Westerners usually say that mathematical ability is innate. This suggests that math skills are not something you are born with; rather, they are something that can be developed through study and motivation. Studies have shown that math skills emerge in infants, while other studies suggest that culture plays a very important role in shaping those skills. It is clear that mathematics is like so many things in life (sports, piano, public speaking), in that you have to practice to get good results.
Children who started out with average math skills but ranked in the top 10 percent in terms of learning strategies and motivation increased about 13 percentage points over the course of the study in their math skills. The survey also asked students to what extent they relied on rote memorization rather than deep learning strategies that made them link their mathematical knowledge to other areas of their lives.
