Research says the use of music led to an improvement in young people's math skills over time. — 123rf.com
RECENT scores in mathematics among 13-year-old US students are at their lowest in decades, prompting concern from parents, educators and authorities. And while teachers look at various ways of promoting learning in this area, a new 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 a total of 78,000 learners. The researcher found that students achieved better results in mathematics when music was part of their lessons. Music can be integrated into math 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 mathematics to design musical instruments.
