- Photo courtesy of M I T C H Ǝ L L
Two weeks ago, I posted Five Things Math Teachers Wish Parents Knew. Now it’s the teachers’ turn to be on the hot seat. I asked a handful of the middle and high school students that I knew to chime in with some advice or helpful feedback for math teachers. And this is what they came up with:
1. Make the math relatable. These kids get it — you honestly like pure mathematics and the State Board of Education has dictated that you cover x amount of material in y period of time. (See what I did there?) But when all students are doing is solving algebraic equations with no connection to the real world, the stuff won’t stick — and eyelids will shut.
2. Do more “interactive stuff instead of book work.” Get rid of boring worksheets. Spend a few days applying the material to larger projects. Have the students design carnival games based on probability. Or track March Madness results. Or use special right triangles to find the length of a shadow and compare it to an actual shadow.
3. Insure that everyone is ready to move on — before moving on. Again, these students know that you have some constraints. And I’m willing to bet that most students understand that the class doesn’t revolve around them. (Okay, maybe many students, rather than most.) But if a good portion of the class isn’t following, there’s no point in barreling through to the next concept. I’ll add this: some students won’t tell you that they’re not ready to move forward. Teachers have to get creative in assessing readiness.
4. Don’t call on the same students all the time. Everyone knows who the mathy kids are. Don’t let them dominate the discussion. A few days ago, a parent told me that her daughter’s school is really clamping down on “blurters” — kids who get the answers quickly and blurt them out. These blurters can suck all of the life out of a classroom, especially when the majority of students need a little more time and a lot more confidence. And it’s a good lesson for anyone to learn: keep your mouth shut and sit on your hands once and a while.
5. Don’t refuse to call on a student who usually has the answer. Everyone deserves a chance to participate, at least part of the time.
6. Skip the timed tests. They freak students out and can bring down a grade in a heartbeat. Fact is, faster isn’t smarter. Speed tests don’t allow different approaches to problems. Besides, what’s more important: automatic recall of the times tables or really understanding where these facts come from? (Please say the latter. Please say the latter.)
7. Grade as much as possible. Give students a chance to bring up their grades with graded homework assignments. And give them feedback on their understanding as often as you can. It’s not enough for a student to know that the answer is wrong. Detailed feedback on why is critical for deeper understanding. Kids know this.
8. Recognize that not all kids learn in the same way. Remember, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. If students don’t understand the concept, try explaining it in a different way. Or ask the kids to come up with their own ideas. Discovery is a great tool, and it’s often very engaging.
9. Stop talking down to students. Yep, students really said this. And I could wallpaper my bathroom with the number of emails I’ve received from adults who felt shamed by a math teacher. Every adult that a kid meets has the power to make a positive difference in that kid’s life. Belittling, shaming and talking down to kids will have the opposite effect.
And I’ll add #10:
10. Don’t ever, ever tell students that they’re bad at math. Want to insure that a kid will never try at math again? Want to smash his confidence? Want to send a lasting message that she won’t be able to balance her checkbook or become an engineer or help her kid with math homework? This is a one-way ticket to that bleek future, and it can happen in a split second with an offhand remark. Remember what it was like to be a student and follow the Golden Rule.
Do you have suggestions for math teachers? Share them (nicely) in the comments section. I’d also love to hear from students and former students who had great experiences with their math teachers. Are you a math teacher? Feel free to offer your feedback, too!
Love, love, love #9…..We should be applying that one everywhere, not just Math. Great list!!
Kids are so smart, aren’t they?
I’m not saying number 9 is wrong, but there are instances where some need a harsh scolding. Not putting them down or their work for sure! But if you are trying to change a behavior unrelated to math, can they respect you more for trying to help them get their act together because you want them to be successful, but their actions are keeping them from doing so?
I think the difference is what you already described — is this a classroom management issue (or perhaps a scolding because the student is not trying hard enough) or is the teacher degrading the student’s math abilities? It’s the latter that I’ve heard way too much about from adults.
And I think it’s very worth noting that there are many schools of classroom management that don’t depend on harsh tactics. Research shows that positive reinforcement is much more effective than negative. While it’s very human for a teacher to lose their cool once and a while (and parents can certainly identify with that!), as a regular practice, scolding is less effective than encouragement. (It’s the whole “catch the kid being good” thing.)
Laura
I’m so glad you included number 6. I never understood why speed matters and both of my kids’ teachers have done timed multiplication tests for years and offered big rewards for answering 30 questions in 90 seconds. They did fine but could they “illustrate” what those times problems mean? I don’t know. Wish I had the courage to challenge the system. Also, my son can sometimes figure things out in his head that others can’t and he has a hard time showing his work/writing it out. He’s been penalized for that. I wish the teacher would be open to the idea that everyone is a little different.
I’ve never understood why speed matters either — especially for kids. We tend to get quicker with calculations when we do them a lot. But as adults, we’re using these calculations in context. For example, because I sew, I’ve gotten really quick with adding, subtracting and multiplying with various fractions (1/16, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, etc.). The problem with doing this at school is the most of the time kids aren’t applying the math to anything relevant. I don’t think it’s good pedagogy to have students do sheets and sheets of problems, in order to get fast.
But showing work is a bit different to me. That process accomplishes several things. First (if it’s done well), the teacher can be sure that the student understands the concept. That means the kid should be able to approach the problem in a variety of different ways. (Just showing the algorithm over and over again is not necessarily useful.) Second, the students can learn that the process is at least as important as the answer. Too often, students are only concerned with the answer, and that’s not a good thing!
Laura
All of the above! Just imagine how different peoples lives would be if this was the model for the US education system.
Fully agree with the lot. I saw this tweeted and it sums up my philosophy entirely. My biggest job is now sharing my thoughts and ideas with my staff! Thanks from the UK.
I just saw this blog mentioned on Sew, Mama, Sew! I am a math teacher who loves to sew! These golden rules that you shared are what I struggle with because I know I want to be life long learners and users of math. I want them to see the math in context. I want them to do the math in context. Keep challenging teachers like me to do our best!
I’m guessing that if context matters, you’re already doing a great job in the classroom. I hope that my post at Sew Mama Sew is useful to folks who are afraid of fractions. Sometimes we don’t need to follow the rules we learned in school, right? (But it is helpful to know the rules so we can break them with confidence.)
Thanks so much for visiting. I hope you’ll come back often.