The Problem:
Many students in Groups 6–8 shut down when faced with word problems. It’s not just a reading issue—they often can’t figure out what’s being asked or how to connect math to real life. This leads to anxiety, guessing, and falling behind in standardized assessments.
Causes:
- Overly abstract teaching without step-by-step strategies
- Insufficient vocabulary and comprehension skills
- Disconnection between math and everyday context
The Shenmo Solution:
Shenmo’s visual-based math training helps children break word problems into parts and connect them with visual thinking. Students learn to “see” the problem unfold on the mental abacus. In Amstelveen, a child who once panicked at story problems began solving multi-step tasks calmly after Shenmo’s visual storytelling method.
Steps for Parents and Teachers:
- Ask children to draw the problem out or act it out with objects.
- Teach them to underline keywords and identify steps.
- Support math programs like Shenmo that connect logic to real-life imagination.