Post 3

                     "Arithmophobia," Fact or Fiction?
Are you one of the many adults who suffer from "arithmophobia" or "numerophobia?" While it may sound funny or appear that I am being sarcastic, these are real clinical phobias that affect a surprising number of adults.  The fear or hatred of math runs deep for many adults.
                                                      
                                         

Why does this matter and how does this affect our youth?  Unfortunately, this negative bias towards math has a big effect on how our students perceive math.  Have you ever heard a child say, "I hate math, this is hard, or when will I ever use this?"  These comments are often followed by a biased adult saying, "just try to get through it and when you are done with school you won't have to use math anymore."  This statement couldn't be further from the truth.  Our world is filled with everyday math and to have a negative bias towards it, puts students at a huge disadvantage.

As educators, we have our work cut out for us to help change this negative bias towards math.  We will have to work double time to help overcome the many negative views and comments that students hear about math from adults and other role models in their lives.  To help show the lack of enthusiasm and retained math knowledge from adults, I have inserted a video clip that drives home this point.

In the video clip above, several adults and teens are asked the simple question, "What is a rhombus?"  Sadly, no one was able to answer that or similar questions correctly.  The questions being asked were part of 3rd and 4th grade curriculum.  However, when the interviewer started to recite numbers from a popular 80's song, the teen was able to quickly and correctly say the numbers.

This solidified the fact for me that as educators we need to make learning fun, interactive and filled with repetition that builds and deepens understanding.  If adults and teens have a "what does it matter" attitude, so will our students.  We need to be role models for today's youth and get them excited and confident in their understanding and application of math.

Rocking the Standards  is a great way to excite and engage children in math education.  The premise behind it is that music makes learning fun.  Tim Bedley the creator and lead drummer of the Rocking the Standards band is a 4th and 5th grade teacher in California.   With over 20 years under his belt and his passion to help students succeed in school, he was able to mastermind the success of this band.  Please view the video below showing the excitement and engagement of the students while learning about shapes.

As a future educator, this is a tool I will definitely incorporate in my classroom.  I hope to be able to break the cycle of the negative math bias.  I am confident that by making math fun, hands-on and relevant to today's world.  I too, will be a teacher that helps my students to "rock the state standards"  and help them to love the world of math! 

For more information on math phobias and the negative bias it creates please read the article below.
Negative Math Bias

Post 2

                                         One is the Loneliest Number

Have you ever heard of the saying "One is the loneliest number?"  This statement couldn't be more true especially when learning math.  As educators and researchers are discovering, students most often learn best when working with other students.  Communication is key when learning math concepts.  This doesn't just include communication from the teacher to the student or from the student to the teacher, it also includes student to student communication.  

According to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, NCTM, communication is a tool that is critical for learning math.  Communication helps build meaning for students.  Conversations about math help to deepen the understanding of math concepts, equations and strategies for solving problems.  The communication standard below helps emphasize the importance of communication in relation to math.   




 Instructional programs from prekindergarten through grade 12 should enable all students to—

• organize and consolidate their mathematical thinking through communication;
• communicate their mathematical thinking coherently and clearly to peers, teachers, and others;
• analyze and evaluate the mathematical thinking and strategies of others;
• use the language of mathematics to express mathematical ideas precisely.

As educators how can we better facilitate communication in mathematics?  One way is by making sure that students are active participants in the learning process.  Don't just ask the student for the answer, ask how they came up with the answer.  It's not just about knowing the answer, it's also about the steps involved.  
Communication of the answer from the student helps them to express the steps or process they took to solve the problem.  If there is an error, the teacher is better able to trouble shoot where the problem is occurring and get the student back on track.  Communication should be both written and spoken for the best learning results to take place.  

To encourage active participation, math games are a great way to make learning fun and communication effortless, engaging, and educational.  Games help facilitate learning by increasing thinking, reasoning, and logic of math skills.  This often puts peers in the role of the teacher.  This role helps to deepen the understanding of the math concept for both the student-teacher and their peers.  
   

 

There are many great math games and resources available to teachers, to help enrich the learning experience for their students.  A great web site for math skills that I have found breaks down the standards and skills for each grade.  Fun and motivational games are part of the learning process for each grade.  Additionally, you can look at the standards for each state to compare the similarities and differences.  

I am a huge advocate for communication in mathematics.  I have been in and seen too many classrooms where learning opportunities are missed when the teacher only implements individual work through worksheets or books.  Learning should be fun and exciting.  Events that evoke emotion, whether good or bad, make a lasting impact.  By making math exciting and interactive you are increasing and strengthening the knowledge acquired by the student.  Communication is the key to greater success for our students in math.

For more information on how to communicate in math please read the article below. 

Article on the importance of communication in math 

Post 1

Do U.S. Students Measure Up In Math Achievement?

School curriculum and state standards are ever changing and often a topic of controversy.  Do our students measure up to other countries?  When reading the article, A Cohort Curriculum, The Case of Mathematics, by William Schmidt, Richard Houang and Leland Logan, the authors' are quick to point out the short comings of the content and depth of content our children are learning.

The authors' views are by saying, "A mile wide and an inch deep."  This implies that U.S. curriculum is currently designed to give a brief and general understanding of many topics as compared to other countries who focus intensely on just a few.  When compared to other countries our lack of in depth-knowledge on tested subjects, has caused our students to measure up short.

Are we really measuring up short?  Are our students less educated or bright?  This topic has views on each end of the spectrum.  I am a firm believer that students become well-rounded and enriched the more they learn and know about our world covering a variety of topics.  So who is to say what and how much knowledge is better?   If the study was testing the amount of knowledge on mathematics  as a whole verses in depth knowledge in just a few areas the authors would be singing praises for the curriculum taught in the U.S.

I give our teachers a lot of praise for educating  our students in an ever changing environment where school curriculum is only as good as the latest study or test comparing students from all over the world.  My motto is inch by inch, mile by mile.  As long as our children keep learning and stay current with knowledge that will help them to be successful members of society, I think we are right on track. 


Link to read the original article in full.