Enhancing Maths Skills and Decreasing Maths Anxiety
INSIGHT Visual Art Exhibition
We look forward to the Prep to Year 12 Student Art Exhibition, INSIGHT, on display in the Honour Room from Monday evening. Please visit to see the showcase of wonderful Visual Art works of your daughters during Visual Arts Week at Somerville House throughout next week.
Maths Anxiety
I suspect that some parents and teachers have observed younger students (at some stage) using their fingers to count or perform mathematical operations. Personal observation and teaching experience helps me understand that the act of counting on fingers is discouraged by many educators, with the view that it is not as intelligent to operate this way. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to read an article on brain research, highlighting that students are strengthening their brain networks when they rely on their fingers to do mathematical operations. You can read the article here.
It is important that we look at the blockages for some students learning Maths, and there is much research about the obstruction to learning caused by Maths anxiety.
Enhancing children’s spatial skills
Spatial reasoning is linked to good maths skills. An article by Kym Simoncini and Tracy Logan, published on The Conversation website reveals some interesting research and tips. Simoncini and Logan are assistant professors at the University of Canberra and they highlight the usefulness of spatial skills in everyday life and the relevance to maths. They profess that good spatial skills are the best predictor of whether children will have a STEM-related career. While the following five tips will interest the parents of our youngest children starting out their education, I share Simoncini and Logan’s five tips to improve children’s spatial skills.
• Play with blocks: Involving lots of rotating, moving and positioning pieces, this activity develops spatial skills as well as fine motor and cognitive skills.
• Use spatial language: Use words that describe dimensions (tall, short, wide), shape (circle, square, oval) and spatial properties (round, straight, curved).
• Play with jigsaws: Using skill-appropriate jigsaws, the rotating and moving of the pieces improves spatial skills.
• Use and create maps: Treasure hunts using a map, world maps, and shopping centre maps are all great ways of learning about spatial relationships.
• Encourage children to gesture: Research suggests that many STEM professions use gestures when working with spatial problems. Children should be encouraged to use their hands to show how things move.
Allergy Awareness Policy
Somerville House is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for students. We have adopted an Allergy Awareness Policy to protect students who have mild to severe allergies (anaphylaxis). Anaphylaxis is a severe, rapidly progressive allergic reaction that is potentially life threatening. It occurs when a person is exposed to an allergen (such as a food or insect bite). Although death is rare, an anaphylactic reaction always requires an emergency response. Prompt treatment with an EpiPen is required to halt progression and can be lifesaving. Anaphylactic reactions are usually preventable by implementing strategies for avoiding allergens. Please read our policy here.
Mrs Kim Kiepe
Principal