Day Two Teaching Middle School Math

Published on November 30, 2004 By LeapingLizard In Misc

Nothing too interesting today.

I am more amazed that some adults never got a full math education. Math anxiety, some say. It's your teachers fault, you know! Teachers seem to hate explaining the hows and whys that make for a real understanding of math, instead of just number munching. I didn't understand the hows and whys of math until I started taking calculus. That's insane. It's much easier to explain these things in elementary school and prepare kids to think algebraically, instead of skill drinlling arithmetic thinking. Skill drill arithmetic math education can be the hinderance that prevents middle schoolers from "getting" math. These middle schoolers turn into highschoolers, college kids maybe, and adults with math anxiety!

Comments

SameOldRat

on Nov 30, 2004

Seems as if the anxiety of the whole ordeal may be melting away already on day two. I hope so. Hell, if I could go back, you would definetly be a teacher I would enjoy. I may be partial, but hey, thats just the way the cookie crumbles.

LeapingLizard

on Nov 30, 2004

You kow, it can crumble in a variety of ways when considering fractions, decimals,and percentages....kidding, rat.

SSG Geezer

on Nov 30, 2004

When Kids haven't been taught by rote methods, (5-6 years old) they often get the correct answers to very difficult math problems without conscious effort. Some kids can do it without knowing how or why it works. Then they are taught methodologies and logic!

Good luck.

SameOldRat

on Nov 30, 2004

You kow, it can crumble in a variety of ways when considering fractions, decimals,and percentages

I suck at math, therefore I have know idea what you are talking about. kidding. Sorta. That was clever!

TheFazz

on Nov 30, 2004

Math is a hard subject for most students; many in the advanced classes are exhilarated with a 90.

I am curious, are you having any problems with disciplining the children?

LeapingLizard

on Dec 01, 2004

Geezer

Getting kids to recognize the whys and hows and prove what they think is correct is really the best way to teach these skills. Students can usually tell you exactly how ans why they believe what they do. They either solidify an idea they didn't even know they knew, or they prove themselves wrong, fond their own error, and then accomidate this new knowledge into their little minds!

Fazz
The students stay really busy. The only problems I have is getting the lower achieving students to look at their problems. Most don't even have the confindence to try. When they do, they realize it's not that bad, and that they can do it. Then, they get really involved in their own world figuring this stuff out. When they start to daydream is when they start to misbehave. I don't discipline, I just help them refocus. Even just a smiple 'where you at' gets their attention back to where they left off and then they are good for a while. One thing they constantly do is pretend to be shooting hoops and rip on each other about how much they suck at basketball!

TheFazz

on Dec 01, 2004

Shooting hoops, eh? That's a new one. Well, it's good to hear that they're not little monsters; most kids are when substitutes or temporary replacements are in.

Best of luck!

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