Today, I taught an algebra 2 student online and I could tell he was having trouble with the concepts I was explaining. When I would ask a question, he would nervously try to guess the right answers or if there was a choice in answers, he would nervously try to pick the choice randomly instead of thinking about what I was asking.
Soon into our lesson he stated the phrase that I've heard time and time again ,"I'm just not good at math," Tell me, have you ever heard a 3 to 5-year-old say they are not good at math? Math is a skill that is developed through practice, time, thinking, and persistence. That can be true of any subject or anything you would like to learn that you did not know. I am a Math teacher and I am still building my skills in math also through focus, practice, time and persistence. I believe students learn that they are "not good at math" by messages sent through teachers, parents, or other adults. I don't believe anyone intends on giving students negative vibes towards math but it's probably based upon their past experience and what they were told as they learned the subject. I would like to challenge all parents, teachers, and all adults to communicate with children that math is a skill that is mastered only through practice, focus, time, and persistence. Do not allow any child to say "I am not good at math". instead, teach them to say " through my struggles I am building skills to master mathematics by practice, focus, time, and persistence." 
No comments:
Post a Comment