Struggling with math? Oxford study reveals how storytelling could unlock kids’ understanding—and even make math fun. Here’s why it might just work.
A recent study by Oxford University suggests that storytelling could be the key to transforming how students understand and engage with math.
While many children find math intimidating, this new study suggests that there might be a way forward. The answer may lie in a different subject: English. Yep, that’s right! According to Oxford University, storytelling and books can make a huge impact on how well we can take in information. But how does it all work?
The Truth Is, Math Is Hard
There’s no denying it, math can be really difficult. Oxford University has found that over half (54%) of primary school students in the UK consider math to be the most difficult subject. This sentiment is echoed by their parents, 60% of whom dread helping their young ones with math homework more than any other subject on the curriculum. In fact, 54% of parents would go as far as to say that they prefer cleaning the bathroom over teaching their child math.
One reason for this difficulty is that mathematics often relies on (and therefore demands that we understand) abstract thinking, especially in the more advanced topics. This abstract nature can be challenging to grasp, and for lots of people, especially young children who are learning for the first time, it can create a learning curve. Such curve often results in feelings of being stumped, frustrated, and, as a result, students and parents alike can become disheartened, sometimes even opting to give up on the subject altogether.
Another reason children often struggle with math is that teachers often find themselves a little stuck when it comes to teaching it. Many teachers find it hard to remember or to come up with new and engaging ways to teach. Consequently, teachers and parents teach things the way they were taught, and this doesn’t always work for the people that we’re teaching. As a result, they get confused, frustrated, and, once again, give up on the whole thing altogether.
This shared struggle isn’t new. It’s a common experience, rooted in how our curricula work, how we approach math as learners and teachers, and, if we’re honest, a little bit in the nature of math itself. To address it, we’d need to understand what other approaches are available and provide support to students and to their parents that is actually useful, engaging, and confidence-building, not something that’s just going to make them hate math even more.
Oxford University Says Stories Might Be the Way Forward
The same study that found both parents and children are equally opposed to math and math homework, also discovered that many children are eager to try a different route.
The study revealed that whilst a number of students might find math difficult and even daunting, they still want to try. It found that many students were referring to math in their more creative lessons, like English. In their creative writing stories, it seems, children were talking about math as a subject!
With that as inspiration, the study then spoke to the children about different learning techniques and found that 34% of the children would enjoy writing exciting adventure stories that incorporated math puzzles, and 35% of them said they wanted to learn maths through colorful storybooks. Not only that, but once again, the parents agreed! 50% of the parents wanted to explain math through storytelling, and over 54% said they’d enjoy solving math exercises through fun puzzle-solving games.
The Power of Storytelling
It might seem unbelievable that so many students would be so much more willing to engage with mathematics and numbers in a storytelling format, but actually, it makes a lot of sense.
Stories create magic. They take us away from the stress of the classroom or the homework-covered dining table and into a world of wonder. When we engage with stories, we often don’t realize that we’re learning, which makes it even easier to do so!
Not only that, but by teaching math or other subjects through storytelling, we allow students to separate themselves from reality, which is often one of the things people find most challenging about math. When we’re in a story, there’s often less of a need to ask “why?” and more of an ability to just accept and learn, even if what we’re learning seems abstract or nonsensical, which, let’s be honest, a lot of math is!
What Kind of Math Storytelling Is Out There?
There are several tools available for parents and teachers who want to incorporate storytelling in their math teaching repertoire. There are useful educational websites like the Education Endowment Foundation and Maths Through Stories, both of which have lots of information and resources for those looking to change the way they teach mathematics.
Oxford University Press also offers a range of books available for purchase. The books are designed to either be read aloud or independently, and are character-driven picture books, suitable for ages 4 and above.
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Millie Ramm
Millie has been writing since she was a child, and has spent more time with her nose in books than anywhere else. She has been ghostwriting novels and editing for the past few years, and when not working she is curled up with her cats, looking for her next read.
