Mathematics is omnipresent and required by everyone! As an integral part of school curriculum worldwide today, Mathematics is one of the core fundamentals in the formal educational system. It is an important subject with broad applicability to everyday life and yet, mathematics is often considered as a difficult subject in schools (Kaur, 2017). Read on to know more about how we can turn the tide by understanding how a student’s attitude towards the subject plays a very important role in getting ‘MADdened by Math‘ OR enjoying the subject and ‘Being MAD About Math‘!
The journey of MATHEMATICS can either be a cake-walk, or hang like a Damocles’ sword over the heads of students, parents and educators alike. The seemingly easy confidence and stellar performance in pre-school numeracy through primary school arithmetic, progressively dissipates for many by the middle school – when concepts become more complex, varied and require more than 4 step calculations, a lot of patience and of course the time old adage – practice, practice, practice!
Familiar statements? When and why does the FUN with numbers turn into a FEAR of Mathematics!
As early as Grade 1, students can start demonstrating negative attitudes towards learning mathematics and this gradually develops into a form of mathematics anxiety (Hornigold, 2015). Students find mathematics a boring and disengaging subject (Colgan, 2014); they hate mathematics, and try to avoid it due to the stress associated with remembering formulae, steps and being accurate with the answer. Even teachers and parents have negative attitudes towards mathematics; it is expressed as a hard subject relegated to the elitist lot – inaccessible, uninteresting, not cool nor engaging for normal people, and certainly not for girls (Boaler, 2016).
The key to making Mathematics a FUN subject lies in the approach taken. The QEDRAK team has experienced Math in the classroom and has researched extensively on how to shift the attitude from MADdened By MATH to MAD About MATH! We’ve put together a list of some of the ways we had explored and we hope they will help students in your class also love Math.
Math games
Online or in-class Math games are tried-and-tested methods for bringing excitement and healthy competition while learning Math. These games can align your lesson plan and robustly engage your students.
Visual aids and picture books
Charts, picture books and other visual aids can help Visual Learners unravel the mysteries behind new concepts and offer quick look-up tips as they work. Students can be encouraged to make their own visual aids to reinforce the key terms and concepts! Picture books are also a great way to engage students that prefer seeing and reading to written math work.
Using Digital Technology
When it comes to teaching math, ICT & digital technology like smartphones, tablets, laptops (which have vastly impacted student learning in the last 2 years), can broaden horizons and offer students different ways to engage with math on their own terms and at their own pace. Students will apply and reinforce current, or previously learned standards, in an independent learning rotation using technology.
Take a hands-on approach & encourage physical involvement
We all know that worksheets aren’t always the most ‘engaging’ way to reinforce concepts. Strategies that encourage movement out of the seats or just engaging in hands-on learning activities can help a variety of different learners. For the kinesthetic learners, you need to be really innovative about making math a DO and LEARN experience. This involves finding real-life examples of formulas and concepts, or including student interests in relevant work problems.
Stick to fixed routines
Building a familiar tested math class routine can comfort students into feeling settled and confident when math class starts, especially the ones with fear about Math. At the onset, outline expectations and what students need to bring to class, whether that’s a sharp pencil and paper, or just a sharp mind!
- To start your lesson, pick something interesting and unfamiliar, whether it’s introducing a new concept or reviewing an old one.
- Spend the middle of your lesson teaching or giving your class hands-on experience with new concepts.
- End the class on a high note with quick activities that reinforce learning.
Use real objects & apply lessons to life
To help students picture abstract math concepts in the real world, you can try some Math tools that can be incorporated into problem-solving activities for varied ways to learn. A common phrase heard in many math classrooms is, “Are we really ever going to this in real life?” To help students understand the benefits and wonder of math, relate what they’re learning to the real world!
Use interesting and engaging questions + humour too!
Students love stories, so word problems are a great way to connect student interests in Math. The excitement to find their favourite literary or TV show character or their own names on your next handout will energise the class or and make them excite for HW. Don’t forget to add humour!
While you may be a master at framing word problems, try a flipped approach of getting students to frame word problems using their understanding of the concept. Students feel engaged and you get your answer on the level of conceptual clarity.
Integrate math into other subjects
Whether it’s statistics in social studies or dimensions in art and sports fields, there are endless ways to connect math topics and excite students into learning wide & deep. Ensure that some math talk happens in other subjects as part of interdisciplinary teaching activities to help students stay engaged — especially if the second subject appears more interesting. This provides a holistic real-life picture.
Focus on your students & Address learning issues promptly
Many educators get through the annual curriculum by teaching in a time-bound flow, with a one-size-fits-all approach. Particularly for Math, a shift to Student-Centred Learning techniques can help a teacher support the needs of every student. The SCL technique involves kids in decisions about their studies, which helps them to build a growth mindset and make connections between concepts.
Learning issues can crop up at any time. If you notice students falling behind (or racing ahead), address it early to avoid any long-term engagement problems.
Encourage communication with students and parents
Knowing your students well and connecting regularly with parents are both equally important. PTMs and Post-It-notes home are ways for you to share positive notes and get meaningful insights from parents about how students feel about math. Math journaling as well Entry Slips & Exit Slips after each class, allow students to reflect on what they’re struggling with, what they enjoy doing and where they think they need more practice.
Finally, it would be fair to say that mathematics is NOT everyone’s favourite subject, since we are all gifted differently. However, with a POSTIVE approach and support of Parents & Teachers, any student can be made to understand basic everyday mathematics.
There’s NO one-size-fits-all solution for engaging a Math class, because it’s a process that looks and feels different for every student. We discussed many techniques – don’t be afraid to mix it up and try different techniques to make math fun in your classroom! See which ones your class responds to best, then use them to keep your students loving math class.
The Success Mantra is – Keep your Math Class FUN and INTERACTIVE, with SURPRISE elements and connected with REAL-LIFE.
