A learner has to be taught to deal with learning events before absorbing lessons. This aspect of learning cannot be taken for granted as you cannot predict on many occasions what events you would face in life. It is the same with learning. If you wish to be able to predict, it is only to make your experiences manageable. If you wish to be in command of your situations then you need a combination of insight and calculation. This is what the learner needs to be trained on. When we come to the subject of calculation we tend to think that it is a numerical activity and the ability to be quick on one’s feet helps in developing this faculty. This is a rather narrow view. First, what has to be understood is that you need to know the ‘why’ behind what is taught. This indirectly helps in developing the logical faculty of the brain. It is therefore important to ask questions spontaneously.
Taking up the topic of Arithmetic one needs to understand why it is so important in life. It is lays the foundation for the application of higher order concepts later on in life in different spheres. Take a situation when you have to buy vegetables; you go to the grocery. The shopkeeper asks you for change. You do not have change. He then asks you to give extra cash so that he can settle the transaction correctly as he himself does not have change. This requires Arithmetic. Although it is transactional and can be acquired on a need basis, children need to be told that Arithmetic is the basis not just for managing transactions but also for thinking to meet specific ends. This aspect of Arithmetic has to be given more emphasis.
‘Arithmetic’ comes from the Latin word ‘Arithmetica’ which means ‘counting’. The word ‘Arithmetikos’ goes one step extra and means ‘counting for reasoning’. This helps the learner connect the dots and relate to details in the real world. The faculty that helps you count also helps you strategies and manage your learning events therefore preparing you for real life situations as well. It may interest you to know that Arithmetic is also referred to by some as ‘educational craft’ or ‘tell craft’. It offers you the building blocks to construct your world of cognitive experiences and existential experiences. In online tutoring Arithmetic is taught as a means we adopt in our daily life. Without the raison d’ etre we would not know what we are applying instinctively. What are you waiting for? Construct your cognition by the online tutoring route.