Sunday, October 12, 2014
Dan Grass Response to Teaching Math to People Who Hate Math.
This calls to question many different thoughts about Math. Why is math so widely disliked amongst students? It must be how it's taught. I can't imagine the fact that they are numbers not words to be the reason. I myself am a math hater. I don't really know why. I just always have been. Perhaps if the techniques used were more in line with that of history or literature. Where pictures and images dominated the curriculum as apposed to the current state where abstract numbers are the corner stone of learning. I like to think of this in relation to my own teacher. I as a music teacher, must teach scales. For every one of my students they hate they sharp keys. They do however love the flat keys. Why is this? They are both abstract ideas. One is not longer, or more difficult than the other. But yet, they still refuse to admit that they are less difficult. I would imagine it has everything to do with exposure. Maybe if we start exposing children to the harder ideals earlier than the easier we can reverse what is considered difficult. Would we then have a whole new set of problems?
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Interesting question.
ReplyDeleteDan,
ReplyDeleteI am the opposite of you in that I loved math and growing up it was my favorite subject. For me I think that it was the black and white part that I loved and for whatever reason it just made sense to me. There is always a right and wrong answer and it is usually easy to see where someone made the mistake if they got a wrong answer. I am not sure what the answer is to get students engaged. Maybe the answer is for some people they should never have to learn anything more than basic addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication. I personally believe that if a subject is not a part of your major then anything more than the basics is a waste of time.
Casey
I personally think its how teachers teach. I believe children should be shown more difficult ideas. So its gets them thinking and even if they don't figure it out, once they reach the level that they can, it all comes together to them. Its happen to me. Music wise, I wanted to play La Cucaracha when I was learning how to play my interment when I was young, but it was too difficult for my playing skill. But when I got more experienced, I was able to play through it and make it sound good. All my experience that I gained came to together and that was a good feeling. But that's just my few cents.
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