黑料吃瓜

鈥淲hen we focus on speed, we don鈥檛 allow students to reason through a problem. We take away the struggle.鈥�

This story appears in the issue of 360:The Magazine of 黑料吃瓜.

Quick: What鈥檚 the square root of 49 divided by 3? If simply reading that sentence brought on a faint tremble of nervousness, you鈥檙e not alone. Math anxiety weighs heavy on the minds of many young students, and that unease frequently carries over into adulthood.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really sad to hear kids and even adults say, 鈥業鈥檓 not good at math,鈥欌�� said Melissa Soto, assistant professor of mathematics education at 黑料吃瓜. 鈥淜ids start off excited about math, but by the third or fourth grade, they get more timid about it.鈥�

Keeping kids interested in 鈥� or at least unafraid of 鈥� math is the goal of Soto鈥檚 research into a teaching method called Cognitively Guided Instruction. To understand what that is, it鈥檚 important to first understand what it鈥檚 not. For most kids, Soto said, early math classes have focused on getting kids to give the correct answer as fast as possible. Think timed quizzes and fast-as-you-can multiplication table tests. These inspire rote memorization and anxiety more than they do actual learning, she explained.

鈥淭here鈥檚 more to math than speed and accuracy,鈥� Soto said.

Soto鈥檚 preferred approach is based on the principle that students solve math problems and make errors in predictable ways. Understanding the cognitive impulses that drive students鈥� forays into mathematics can help teachers identify red flags and rectify misunderstandings.

A major component to this approach is giving students the time and opportunity to discover solutions for themselves. Consider 鈥渂orrowing鈥� in multi-digit subtraction. It鈥檚 a nifty shortcut to solving subtraction problems, but if students don鈥檛 understand the concept behind it, they鈥檒l struggle when it comes to more advanced notation.

鈥淲hen we focus on speed, we don鈥檛 allow students to reason through a problem,鈥� Soto said. 鈥淲e take away the struggle.鈥�

One simple yet effective trick to jumpstart mathematical reasoning, she said, is to personalize the context, such as including students鈥� names in story problems. Once they can visualize themselves in the scenario, they鈥檙e better able to reason through it.

Also, sharing information is frequently called out as cheating in classrooms, but it鈥檚 a crucial way students learn from one another and solidify their own understanding of math concepts, Soto said. Group work should be encouraged, not penalized.

Slowing down isn鈥檛 an easy directive to follow for already harried teachers, but Soto said it鈥檚 worth it.

鈥淭eaching kids to be more flexible and sophisticated in their mathematical thinking will pay off in the long run,鈥� she said.

Thanks to the for help in the video component of this story.