Building Confidence with Numbers

By Lisa Chung February 3, 2012

On Jan. 16 2012, New Hyde Park welcomed Mathnasium: the Center for Math with a grand opening complete with the A+ mascot. Run by former accountant Peter Abrams, Mathnasium moves away from traditional approaches of memorization and repetition toward methods that get students to think like mathematicians.

Mathnasium of New Hyde Park center director Peter Abrams greets mascot A+ at the grand opening on January 16.

By providing students with techniques to make them successful in math, Mathnasium helps students who may be frustrated, embarrassed, or confused by numbers.

On January 16, New Hyde Park welcomed Mathnasium: the Center for Math with a grand opening complete with the A+ mascot. Run by former accountant Peter Abrams, Mathnasium moves away from traditional approaches of memorization and repetition toward methods that get students to think like mathematicians.

“In school, they learn the lessons and then they may not be given personalized attention,” Abrams says. “Our method involves giving them personalized ‘Work Out’ books and the prescriptive they require to learn what they need.”

Within a group setting, instructors—who are well versed in all levels of math through high school—ensure students understand each math problem.

Students are positively reinforced with a punch card. Each completed page of problems earns a punch in the card; once all punches on the card have been earned, students are awarded prizes.

Abrams says the center does not necessarily focus on school homework, reasoning that, “We’re here to help students get to the point where they can do the homework themselves.”

The Mathnasium Method was founded more than 35 years ago by a teacher who was a father of a mathematically gifted son. Since the opening of the first Mathnasium in 2002 in California, the franchise has expanded globally with centers in South America, Europe, and Asia.

To learn more about Mathnasium New Hyde Park, visit www.mathnasium.com/newhydepark.