Thread: Why is math hard?

When I think of the topic of math fear encompasses me and negative thoughts enter my mind. I can remember all the way back to elementary school that math was a beast and that I was never good at it. Why was it hard? Was it an attitude that I had? Was it a bad experience that shaped my memory to where it is today? A answer that I have concluded with is that everyone is made with gifts, talents and strengths. Where I am strong another is weak and where I am weak another is strong. Granted this represents the extremes but it gives you the picture. I also beleive that learning styles play a role in math. These are just some thoughts and mostly opinions that I have experienced. What are your opinions?

I remember in elem. school, I just learned the pattern of what to do next instead of the reason behind what I was doing. I am not even sure the teacher even told us the reasons. I learn more now teaching the students than I did in school because it is so much more hands on math.

Personally, I don't think we teach math right, but the way we teach it is so engrained that to change will take an act of congress. (I am not advocating this, just observing it.)

I'd like to see young elementary not ever put pen to paper, but instead work with manipulatives. If I have 20 blocks and divide it into three equal groups, what happens? What can we call the left overs? What do you do in real life that is like this?

I would like for us to make more real world applications to ways to use math. I taught using a constructivist program once and loved it. The parents hated it and I think I may have been the only math teacher in the school that liked it. It didn't look like the math from the parents/teachers youth. The teachers and parents were frustrated. The kids were learning all kinds of stuff. We set up experiments to show the difference between quadratic, linear, and exponetial sets of data and WOW the understanding of what happened was wonderful.

Hope4Me said:

I am not even sure the teacher even told us the reasons.

It could be that the teachers didn't know the reasons. I wasn't given very many. The reasoning why we do things is very important to me, but I had to take the time to learn them myself because they weren't modeled.

The sad part is that its difficult to teach with real meaning. I have so few days and so much to teach. :x

Bitsy

From my point of view, the reason why this problem is happening due to lack interest and enthusiasm. They don't like math, therefore how can they be very good in that. If our interest in some topics is too high, we should be able to "master" the topic.

The second reason is because of lack of practice. Practice is the mother of success. A lot of practice make students brilliant !! Practice can be anything, either assignment or quiz. Students can buy books or get the question from internet.

Remember one thing:

"Practice and repitition is the mother of success"

I know for a fact that I could have done better in maths than I did. I also know why I didn't: IT WAS DULL. I hated every moment of it. It was somehow lifeless, rigid and sterile. (And I didn't have very good teacher's, especially in senior high).

"I HATE MATHS!" is definately a commonly heard phrase and one i used myself many times at school. I have to agree with what was said above and would like to add another idea of my own. I hated maths for most of my schooling until about grade 10 when i decided i actually enjoyed the challenge of Algebra and probablly could have loved it for a while. I think it was just that i thought NO ONE was surpose to like maths. As stupid as it sounds now but i actually think that there are children out there that think that no one is meant to like maths and that it isn't meant to be fun. The truth is, it can be! I think it would be great if we can get children to discover this for themselves.

I'm still a student and I like maths, I find most aspects of it easy. My favourite topic in maths is probably algebra. I like maths because there's either a right answer or a wrong one, I think that could be why many people don't like it. I also enjoy the lesson, mainly because most of the time is spent answering questions from the text book so there's not much chance for the teacher to "pick on you" to answer a question. I think if some people tried harder they would be better at it, but when many people don't understand something they adopt an "i don't care about this so i wont bother doing anything" attitude which doesn't help. I've always enjoyed maths and most of my other subjects at school, I think quite a few people like some lessons they just don't want to admit it to their friends, especially maths as it's supposed to be boring and hard.

I think anyone could enjoy maths if they accept that they may not be the best at maths and it may not be their favourite thing to do, when people accept things they can learn to live with them and it will make life much easier for them.

I've become involved inthe new math curriculum here-- piloted our new textboook, sit on the math mentor committee and am HOPING to be the new district Numeracy Specialist (a job I applied for awhile back, but needed to be re-posted, though I'm still hopeful).

I never felt I did a great job teaching math in my first few years, but lately, I have hit my stride. Parents still hate me and think I suck and bla bla bla....but when I piloted the new material, I just about cried-- I found that the lessons wer EXACLTY the sorts of things I had been doing intuitively, materials I had been pulling together from all over and making into a sequential curriculum.

ANYway-- it is centred in brain-based learning and critical thinking--problems and scenarios are real-world problems and situations.

When I graduated Uni, BC (where I live) led the world in Educational initiative and research. We've slipped (A LOT) in 10 or so years, but I am encouraged by SOME of what I see. Mostly, I'd just like it if kids were exposed to as many chances to learn as possible...

Lisa

Many of kid's perceptions about math are based on how it was presented to them. I am passionate about it. I positively LOVE problem solving, looking at the same old things in brand new ways, and finding better ways to bring deeper meaning to what I am doing.

As a positive consequence of this, my passion rubs off on my students. It is not uncommon to hear me say, "These are really fun problems!". After hearing that for about a 1000 times, the kids (most of them) start adopting the same thoughts. I've actually heard one of my students who is stronger in literary subjects than math say "This is kinda fun, once you understand it." That made my heart soar.

A passionate teacher produces passionate students. You can't help but feel excited about something when you listen to someone who is already excited about it talk about it.