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The Shocking Secret Behind Your Math Blocks
by: Kenneth Williams

You're smart, witty and intelligent.

You've overcome many challenges in your life.

And yet, you can't do simple math sums in your head.

Ever wonder why not?

In this short article, you're going to discover the ONE reason you struggle with mental math.

And I promise you, it's NOT the reason you think it is.

You see, it’s NOT your natural math ability, or the way you were born, or any of the other lame explanations you've been conditioned to believe.

No.

The real reason you're not a calculating whiz kid is startlingly simple.

In fact it’s right in front of your eyes as you read these words now. And yet it’s been hidden from you all your life.

To understand it, you need to take a moment and cast your mind back to your schooldays...

Imagine yourself in the math class, writing an addition sum into your little notebook. Something like this:

245 +
631

Doing what you were taught, you take your pencil and first add up the units... (5 plus 1)

Then you add up the tens... (4 plus 3)

You do the same with the hundreds... (2 plus 6)

And finally you have your complete answer.

That's what you were taught. And that's how you do math:

Units... Tens... Hundreds... Thousands... etc...

Except... now there's a problem.

Because the way you were taught to do math on paper was suicidal to your ability to do math in your head.

Do you know why?

Because you were taught how to do math... BACKWARDS.

You were taught math back-to-front: from right-to- left.

Think about it. When you read a number, how do you do it?

Take a look at this number and read it out:

123

What did you say to yourself when you saw it?

You probably said "One Hundred and Twenty Three". Or "One Two Three".

Whatever you said, I'll bet you didn't say... "Uhm, 3 units, and then 2 tens that makes twenty, and then 1 hundreds..."

The fact is, your mind processes numbers from left to right. (The same way you're reading these words now.) But the "school" part of your brain is trying to process them in the opposite direction.

Are you beginning to see why you struggle to do calculations in your head? Quite simply...

YOUR BRAIN IS STUCK IN REVERSE GEAR!

What would happen if you were taught to drive a car the same way you were taught to do math?

- Your neck would ache from the strain of constantly looking over your shoulder.

- You'd never go anywhere fast. And...

- You'd be a danger to everyone else on the road!

Pretty soon you'd give up driving completely, and settle for public transport.

Just like the day you gave up trying to calculate in your head... and settled for a lifetime of calculator dependency.

Want to know another shocking secret?

If you have kids in school or college, you can guarantee their brains are stuck in reverse gear too.

Why?

Because the education establishment doesn't like rapid change. It prefers the traditional "Tried & Tested" approach.

Unfortunately, as you know, the traditional approach doesn't always work.

(If it did, why are there an estimated two million people suffering from 'math phobia' in the United States alone?

And that's not including the millions more who could dramatically improve their math ability just by changing their approach.)

Let’s look at that little addition sum again:

245 +
631

This is easy to do from left to right:

You add 2 and 6 to get 8.

You add 4 and 3 to get 7.

And you add 5 and 1 to get 6.

The answer is 876.

Simple, isn't it?

Look, if you learn nothing else about math... start calculating from left to right.

With just a little practice you'll "read off" the correct answer every time.

And you'll wonder why you missed the secret of mental math for so long.
 

Kenneth Williams is creator of the popular Fun With Figures math course, responsible for helping thousands of perfectly normal kids and adults eliminate their math blocks. Find out more at: http://FunWithFigures.com .

Grandparents! Help Your Grandkids Do Math!
by Kenneth Williams
 

This may come as a surprise.

But despite all the advances in education, many kids still struggle in the math class.

Math is an important subject, yet many kids just don't "get it".

Teachers can only devote a limited amount of personal attention to each student.

And parents are so busy with their own work nowadays, they don't have time to help their children with school work.

That's where YOU, the grandparent, come in!

Grandparents teach their grandchildren through example and play a role in encouraging them to be successful and set goals.

Grandparents are naturally forgiving and patient, and children sense that.

As a grandparent you can help right from the time your grandkids are toddlers, by asking them questions involving numbers, and showing them how important math is to our lives:

Ask them number-based questions, like: "How many books do you want to read tonight?"
Or: "How many miles to grandma's house?"
Show them basic fractions by dividing groups of jelly beans into halves and quarters.
Bake cookies together and teach them how to measure ingredients.
Make something in the wood shop and teach them how to use a ruler.
The time you spend with your grandchild is a blessing for both of you. If you work with your grandchildren and teach them the simple basics of math, they will develop a natural talent for it and move to the head of the class.

It is important to be positive, patient and enthusiastic. You have a whole lifetime of experiences to share with them. You can be there for them if they become discouraged in school.

Don't be negative about math - be positive and enthusiastic. Your attitude will greatly influence them. You can help them over the bumps by showing them that math is simple if you break it down to the basics and build from there.

Show them that math is nothing to fear, but rather something to enjoy. Show them how good it feels to solve problems and how wonderful learning is.

Teach your grandchildren that math is a tool we use everyday from working at our jobs, using checkbooks, going to the store, furnishing our homes, eating in restaurants, planning vacations and converting our currency.

Being a grandparent is one of the miracles of life. There is a natural bond of human affection between grandparent and grandchild that brings a lifetime of joy and love to you both.

Spending time with them and really helping them will make all the difference in the world, and it will make math fun for them, too.

Successful students will remember spending time with their grandparents and learning life's lessons.

From precious baby to challenging teenager, they will remember you were there every step of the way.
 

Kenneth Williams is a math teacher with over 31 years teaching experience. He is also author of the popular "Fun With Figures" mental math course, which shows anyone aged 8 to 80 the easy way to do impressive mental calculations. Visit the website today for more details at: http://FunWithFigures.com