Chinese clinic to provide treatment and medication to math-struggling students

A new clinic is being launched in a hospital in Shanghai and it will be treating children who face difficulty in mathematics, in an innovative move.

In this clinic, the children will be provided a holistic treatment which will include administration of medication and a lively discussion on social media.

The Spatial and Mathematical Learning Difficulties Clinic will open at the Shanghai Children’s Medical Centre on October 8, as per the media reports.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

How will this clinic operate and cure math-struggling students?

As per the introductory materials of the clinic, spatial cognitive ability is to be blamed for the struggle students are facing in tackling mathematics problems, especially geometry.

As per the neuroimaging studies, the students who struggle with geometry have decreased activity in the parietal area of the brain which is related to spatial reasoning.

Also Read:Thousands of Indian students line up for waiter jobs amid unemployment crisis in ‘Trudeau’s Canada’

The clinic further noted that deficits in imagination and spatial perception can affect the performance of students adversely in subjects like algebra, physics, and chemistry.

The mission of the clinic is to provide support for students who face problems in geometry and spatial problems in mathematics and also those who fail to understand complex topics such as magnetic and electric fields in physics and molecular structures and chemical reactions in chemistry.

The clinic charges a fee of 316 yuan (US$45) per patient and does not have any age restriction.

Also Read:Virginia teacher fired for refusing to use transgender student's preferred pronouns awarded over $500,000

Every Tuesday morning, the clinic operates and it is fully booked for the month of October, as reported by the South China Morning Post.

Teachers react to the innovative clinic

Speaking about the clinic, senior math teacher Zhang Zeng supported the medical intervention.

“If we can accurately identify the reasons behind students’ weak spatial reasoning through precise medical analysis and make necessary adjustments, it will benefit their studies in mathematics,” Zhang said.

Meanwhile, another math teacher said, “There is a fundamental distinction between a math learning difficulty and an illness. Various factors contribute to poor performance in math, including ineffective methods, lack of interest, and low-quality teaching, but there are no physiological factors involved."

(With inputs from agencies)