All of the responses from the student confirmed many of the points presented during our in-class discussions. The student is in Grade 12 and she enjoys learning in general which includes the subject of math. She enjoys the fact that she can and does use some of the things that are taught in math class and apply in to real life situations. This is similar to how many of us felt when we were taking math in high school. One interesting point that she brought up was the fact that she enjoys learning how to use calculators. We can take this as a reminder to keep up to date on current technologies that may be applicable to the teaching of math and try different ways of incorporating those technologies. We can use these technologies as teaching aids and encouraging the students to understand how to use these technologies to apply the math skills that they learn.
Her response to “What are your dislikes?” was not surprising. The enjoyment of math disappears when the teacher explains things so quickly that she doesn’t understand. She mentioned that if she was the teacher, she would teach math slower but understood that this would mean that the entire curriculum may not be taught in time. The student also mentioned she sometimes drifted off without meaning to when the teacher is lecturing. Then she would catch herself and spend time trying to catch up what the teacher had previously said. All of this has been brought up in this class and in other classes as well: the concept of teaching quality versus quantity. In order to prepare students for the next year, the curriculum should be followed, but if the curriculum is taught instrumentally and monotonously, then the students are not really learning. Teachers should be striving to teach the curriculum in a timely manner using interactive, relational techniques. While this may be easier said than done, it should always be one of our goals as educators.
The student did see math as being useful in life. She feels that she has already been taught everything in math that she needs for life. Specific examples included going to a store and calculating that she had enough money for specific items. She also mentioned the ability to calculate taxes as being a useful skill. She didn’t mention much use in math skills beyond basic addition, subtraction and multiplication.
As a teacher, while you want your students to be successful and thrive in your class, you also have to be realistic. Not all students are stellar math students and in some cases, you have to be honest with them and let them know that they will not get high marks in your math class. That does not mean you don’t keep on encouraging and teaching them, but you also need to ensure that they understand that, despite their low math marks, they will still succeed in life even if they don’t go any further in their math education. These two viewpoints reflect the reality of math education and in some situations, as a teacher, you have to realize, understand and accept the needs and limitations of your students and not just be focused on the possibilities and potentials of the students.
We also interviewed the Head of the Mathematics Department at a small Vancouver school to gain insight from her experience in teaching secondary mathematics. We asked for her advice on how to handle students who hate mathematics. In Mrs. X's experience, when students arrive to high school they are usually a “math mess”. This hate and fear of mathematics usually originates at home and is further escalated when the primary schools give students an insufficient mathematical grounding. Mrs. X's dialogue demonstrates that mathematics is a cumulative subject and weakness at any level will affect the ability of students to perform and learn mathematics at a higher level. Thus to improve secondary students' math interest, there needs to be a change in the attitudes coming from home and in the students’ primary education.
We inquired how she might respond to a student who says “I hate math.” Mrs. X handles this situation by relating to her students honestly. Using honesty as a teacher creates a trusting relationship between the educator and student, and in turn the student is more likely to listen and respond to the teacher's advice. Reflecting that hatred is usually a result of fear and not being able to do things well, Mrs. X would discuss with the student what actions they both could take to move the student forward. Mrs. X's approach to handle a student's hatred of math emphasizes the student's responsibility in changing their attitude. Admittedly students will probably be sceptical that math skills can improve, so she explained you have to proceed gradually and promote situations where a student can be successful. In our dialogue with Mrs. X we learned that being realistic, engaging and encouraging can stimulate a more positive attitude towards math.
We were also introduced to methods for handling differing levels of ability within the classroom. Mrs. X acknowledges that every person learns differently and recommends that teachers give their students opportunities to learn in different ways. In her classroom she uses visual and auditory teaching methods, as well as activities that involve the students moving around. Further she explains the importance of being able to rephrase and present materials in many ways. The ideas Mrs. X uses to stimulate learning in her classroom reflect the philosophy that all students should be able learn given the proper stimulus. As teachers we are responsible for acquiring a wide rage of tools, abilities and techniques to teach any group of students.
As well as engaging her students mathematically, Mrs. X's strategy is to keep her students consistently interested and invested. She relates teaching to selling a product. The delivery must be captivating, as most students like the presentation of the material more than the math itself. Mrs. X makes mathematics applicable to the real world, which makes it important to her students. She looks at real world applications in everyday life and makes her students think about news articles, history and things they care about. Her goal is to “make them think and responsible for it.” This approach deflects from the common perception that math has no purpose in “real life.” She proves to them through each example that what they are learning is relevant and useful. This probably generates more success in learning and retention because most students learn best by making connections between what they are studying and what they already know. Mrs. X will also engage her students physically in the classroom. She might have them move around the classroom, or engage them by having them put a finger on their nose when they get the right answer. This example of classroom teaching demonstrates the need to know your audience and their needs.
Lastly we inquired about Mrs. X's view on the curriculum. She is very displeased and disappointed with the new math curriculum. In her opinion it is not challenging enough for students, is not preparing students for university and will not stand up globally.
