Mathematics rising star, Titilayo Fasoro, 14, shares how she emerged winner in this year’s Maths competition organsied by the National Mathematical Centre, Abuja. She speaks to SAMUEL AWOYINFA

Fourteen-year-old Titilayo Fasoro, unlike some of her contemporaries, has never been afraid of Mathematics. In fact, she has always scored good grades in the subject right from her primary school days. According to her, the least she has scored in the subject is 80 per cent.

Therefore, for the SS1 pupil of Hallmark Secondary School in Ondo, Ondo State, her emergence as the champion in the just-concluded Nigerian Mathematics Olympiad for girls is the icing on the cake.

She said, “I have always loved Mathematics from primary school. My school, Hallmark, organises extra lessons for pupils. I was also specially tutored in preparation for different stages of the National Mathematics Competition by the Mathematics teachers in my school.”

According to the budding mathematician, candidates from across the 36 states participated in the competition.

Prior to her emergence at the national level, she scaled through three other stages in the competition triumphantly. The three stages, she said, were at the local government, zonal and the state levels.

Fasoro, crowned the Mathematics Queen by wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience, declared that she has never experienced figure phobia. She handles every Mathematics test or problem with the same level of attention, even though she gets support from her teachers.

The youngster, who took home N100,000 and a scholarship valued at N3m, said she felt on top of the world when she was announced as the best female Mathematics pupil in the country.

She added, “I felt very happy and excited, more so when the Education Minister, Prof. Ruqquayat Rufa’i, and other dignitaries witnessed the event.”

Advising her colleagues still struggling with Mathematics, Titilayo, the third in a family of six children, said Mathematics was just like any other subject.

She added, “They should work harder and not be afraid of Mathematics, because it is not a no–go–area. They should also remember that in the kingdom of Mathematics, all other subjects are subjects. Any pupil can pass it easily if he/she puts his/her heart to it.”

An apostle of sharing knowledge, especially Mathematics knowledge, Titlayo noted that she discussed ideas freely with her colleagues.

According to her, a knowledge shared is one’s contribution to development of the society in whatever area of life.

She explained, “I am not the only one good in Mathematics; there are a number of others. But I thank God for giving me grace and favour. Based on this, I have always assisted some of my colleagues who are struggling with the subject by breaking down the equations for them.

“And I let them know that nobody was born with Mathematics written on his or her forehead. We are all learning and by learning, we improve.”

According to her chartered accountant father and Quantity Surveyor mother, the young Fasoro has been exhibiting brilliance in Mathematics from her formative years in school

Her father said, “She has always been among the top three in Mathematics in her class right from primary school.”

Are there some qualities which differentiate her from their other children? The father stated that every child was unique in his or her own way.

He, however, noted, “She has always been a reserved and studious child — the type that would stay in a spot for hours just reading.”

On the feat, the NMC Director-General, Prof. Adewale Solarin, said with her likes, Nigeria would win this year’s African Mathematics Queen.

Tips for doing well in Mathematics

Mathematics is not a spectator sport, get active

Unlike some subjects, Mathematics is something that won’t let you be a passive learner. Mathematics is the subject that will often put you out of the comfort zone, do not worry, as this is normal and part of the learning process.

Try to make connections in Mathematics, many of the concepts in Mathematics are related and connected. The more connections you can make, the greater the understanding will be. Mathematics concepts flow through levels of difficulty, start from where you are and move forward to the more difficult levels only when understanding is in place. The internet has a wealth of interactive Mathematics sites that let you engage, be sure use them.

Practice, practice, practice

Do as many problems as is required to ensure you understand the concept. Some of us require more practice and some of us require less practice. You will want to practice a concept until it makes sense and until you are fluent at finding solutions to various problems within the concept readily. Strive for those ‘A Ha!’ moments. When you can get 7 varied questions in a row right, you’re probably to the point of understanding. Even more so if you re-visit the questions a few months later and are still capable of solving them. This too is key to understanding. Be sure to check out the worksheet section for lots of practice examples.

Additional exercises

This is similar to practice. Think of Mathematics the way one thinks about a musical instrument. Most of us do not just sit down and play an instrument. We take lessons, practice, practice some more and although we move on, we still take time to review. Go beyond what is asked for. Your instructor tells you to do questions 1-20, even numbers only. Well, that may work for some, but others may need to do each of the questions to reach the point of fluency with the concept. Doing the extra practice questions only helps you to grasp the concept more readily. And, as always, be sure to re-visit a few months later, do some practice questions to ensure that you still have a grasp of it.

Buddy up

Some people like to work alone. However, when it comes to solving problems, it often helps to have a work buddy. You know the saying: two heads are better than one. Sometimes a work buddy can help clarify a concept for you by looking at it in a different way. Organize a study group or work in pairs or triads! In real life we often work through problems with others. Math is no different. A work buddy also provides you with the opportunity to discuss how you solved the math problem. And as you’ll see in this list of tips, conversing about math leads too permanent understanding and you know that understanding is key.

Explain and question

Try to explain to somebody else how you solve Mathematics concepts. Teach a friend. Or, keep a journal. It is often important to state in writing or orally how you solved your Mathematics problems/exercises. Question problems, ask yourself, what would happen if solved it this way.