Teaching math
Last night I received a letter from a math teacher: “I like your articles on “Active learning” method where students are responsible for their learning. However, I think this method is good for college students, but not high school. I teach math in high school, and my students are not readied to learn on their own. Do you have any suggestion? Please advise.”
Answer: Active learning method can be taught to students at any level. Many countries are teaching this method in elementary, high school, and college. Of course, the teachers must modify it to fit with the classroom environment. As a math teacher, you probably know that you do not teach math the same way as you are teaching history or geography. Learning math is different from learning other subjects; no one cannot learn math by reading math books or memorize formulas. Math requires concentration and practice as students develop math skills from the fundamental to the more advance, but it takes time as you cannot hurry in learning math.
The traditional way of forcing students to memorize formulas and follow rigid instructions to solve problems will make them afraid of math. Using active learning instruction, teachers should encourage students to solve a problem in a way that is meaningful to them. Teachers should let them discover their way to solve the problem. Their solution may not be the best, but if they can still solve it, teachers could ask them to explain how they come up with that solution and use the opportunity to show them another way which resulting in an awareness that there is more than one way to solve problems. In that case, students will not be afraid of being “Right” or “Wrong” then not afraid of math.
The traditional teaching math by memorization and recall formulas is not effective. When students are forced to follow rigid instructions but still cannot solve the problem, they are confused and afraid of math. Sometimes math teachers challenge students by giving them very difficult problems to solve, and forcing them to spend more time on solving problems as an “intellectual exercise.” They forget that the purpose of learning math is about to develop and apply critical and logical thinking to solve problems in daily life. Life is about making a decision, not about numbers.
When teaching math, the teachers should start with the basic conceptual of the numerical fluency or the “WHAT,” then go to the formulas or the “HOW,” to allow students to understand the operation. After students understand both concepts, the teachers should encourage the students to develop the ability to work flexibly with numbers and operations or “HOW TO” on their own and correct any mistake or misunderstanding. They should focus more on the application of math by using real life examples to encourage them to learn math, instead of just passing judgment on “right” or “wrong.”
For example, in the traditional approach, the teacher shows students step by step how to solve problems and expects them to do the problems exactly the way he does. However, in active learning approach, the teacher let students work on the problems then asks some to explain how they arrived at the answer to his problem. In the traditional approach, to get students interested in math, the teacher solves a sample problem on the blackboard and comes up with the answers. However, in the active learning approach, the teacher shows students how “exciting” math is and assures them that they all can learn math because they are all “smart.” He stimulates students’ curiosity and encourages them to investigate further by asking them questions that begin with, “What would happen if..? In many traditional math classes, the teacher often calls a student to solve a problem on the blackboard while the rest of the class sit and watches. However, in active learning approach, the teacher gives a math problem, let students talk to other about it in class, let them share ideas about how to solve it, and allows they work in a group to solve the problem together.
There is a myth that students who are good in math are “Smart, ” but the fact is they do well in math because they work hard on a daily basis. Anyone can do well in math by practice more. In active learning, students must practice on a daily basis as they are responsible for their math learning.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
