Kids with real-world maths skills can struggle with school arithmetic Kids who learn to solve complex maths problems in the 'real world' may still struggle with arithmetic in the school. Researchers surveyed children working as market vendors in India, and found most were able to solve complex, market-related problems, but generally couldn't solve simpler problems written in the abstract format used in school. By contrast, non-working children enrolled in nearby schools did better with simple abstract problems, but only 1% could correctly answer a market problem. Authors of the study say that working children need to be introduced to maths in a way that harnesses their intuitive understanding.
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