Posted on 07/19/2023 2:54:50 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Turkish research finds that the use of music in education leads to an improvement in young people’s numerical skills over time.
With marks in mathematics among students in the United States at their lowest in decades – not to mention questionable passing scores in Malaysia – parents, educators and certain authorities alike are naturally concerned.
A recent Turkish study suggests that music could be a solution to issues of innumeracy or mathematical illiteracy. Dr Ayça Akin of Antalya Belek University came to this conclusion after analysing 55 studies from around the world involving 78,000 learners.
The researcher found that students achieved better results in mathematics when music was part of their lessons.
Ads by Kiosked Music can be integrated into maths instruction in a number of ways. For instance, students can clap their hands to songs with different rhythms when learning numbers and fractions, or use maths to design musical instruments.
Previous studies have indicated that children who are gifted musically are often also gifted when it comes to mathematics. But up until now, scientists have been unable to determine with any certainty whether instruction in music actually improves pupils’ math skills.
This hypothesis was put to the test by analysing maths-test results of students who had taken part in a music workshop. Their numeracy and problem-solving skills were assessed before and after taking part in these sessions, to determine whether they had reaped any benefits in terms of numeric capabilities.
The workshops consisted of classes in which the students sang, listened to, and composed music; also in which young participants learnt to play an instrument, either individually or as part of a group; and maths classes incorporating music directly.
Disciplines closer than you think
Akin found that the use of music led to an improvement in young people’s maths skills over time. The maths lessons that integrated music as part of the class were particularly successful, with 73% of those who took them achieving significantly better results than the control group.
And that’s not all: 69% of students who learnt to play an instrument and 58% of those enrolled in music classes made greater progress in mathematics than young people who did not take part in any introductory music workshop.
There are several factors that help explain this phenomenon, as outlined in the study, published in the journal “Educational Studies”. The use of music in maths instruction seems to boost students’ motivation and reduce the anxiety associated with learning a subject reputed to be difficult and demanding.
It also enables them to see mathematics in a new light. After all, the two disciplines have more in common than you might think, such as the use of symbols and symmetry.
They also require abstract thinking and quantitative reasoning. Furthermore, music and mathematics can only be mastered by repeated practice, even if some people naturally find it easier than others.
This is why Akin is calling on teachers to rethink the way young people are taught maths. “Encouraging maths and music teachers to plan lessons together could help ease students’ anxiety while boosting achievement,” she said.
What is horseshit about it?
Mental masturbation. Music and Diff Eq have no real commonalities.
I was 4.0 in my Mathematics courses.
I am retarded musically.(though I love listening to music)
It was more of a compliment than a critical analysis.(creativity of thought)
If I were you, I wouldn’t pay it any mind.
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