Week 1: Welcome to my Math Blog!

Welcome to my blog for EDBE 8P54! Each week, I will discuss topics that we have covered in class along with some extra thoughts about how we can enhance the learning experience for our future students.

This week, we examined attitudes toward math, math “myths,” and looked at debunking the concept of being a “math person.”

Math is boring

It is true that many people detest math. The video "Kid Snippets: "Math Class" (Imagined by Kids" that we saw in class, is unfortunately an accurate depiction of many students’ attitudes towards math.  Students are not engaged in learning math as they are interested and do not see the point of learning math unless they need it (i.e. if they want to become a doctor). Math is often perceived as painfully dull for them and “not cool.” Students develop anxiety and end up “hating” math. 

https://binged.it/2NEUxzt

Students who like math are often portrayed as “nerds” as in the “Hollywood Hates Math” video. A lot of people still believe that math ability is innate – some people have it, others do not, and there is little one can do to change their basic math ability.  

    Math Myth: I am not a math person

https://binged.it/2QrVvOf

While most myths are harmless, the myth that only smart people can do math is not. In fact, experts believe that success in school math is attainable for every student, given the right training and beliefs about ability.

I remember having difficulty with word problems at one point, one in particular – how many paperclips are required to encircle our planet? That problem still bothers me to this day – why would you want to give such a problem to a Grade 8 student who had just started to learn about word problems? 

I was usually pretty good at math but I just froze. It was overwhelming to think about that many paperclips and did not even want to try it. I prevented myself from even starting and I thought I would never be good at word problems. However, I made it my mission to get really good at word problems by studying them, breaking them down and freeing myself from anxiety. I also had an amazing teacher the following year who really enabled me to appreciate math! With practice and the right mindset, I was able to excel. 

Why Math Matters

Math should not be thought of as a textbook with exercises. Math is living and breathing and is all around us. Mathematical knowledge is a core skill needed for every day life skills and includes concepts such as percentages, measuring, fractions and probabilities. 

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Picture yourself going to the store and using a $100 bill to pay for your groceries – you need math to know how much you can spend and how much change you should get back. Math is being used when the weather forecast calls for a 30% chance of rain.  Careers in science, engineering, nursing, medicine and business all require math skills. 

                                          Teaching tips

-        Teachers need to get away from the textbook approach where students memorize rules and apply them to a given set of problems. If students encounter problems that are presented differently, they may not be able solve them. They have not truly learned.

-        Make math fun. Use games. 

-     Number talks are a great way to improve student’s mathematical knowledge. I had the opportunity to watch a creative group of students individually solve a problem in 7 different ways! Teachers can set aside 5-10 minutes each day to discuss math in a relaxed setting. Watch this video to learn more about number talks:

                                                                          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hmh8pwL1sLg