As a kid I was exposed to math in the usual ways such as learning to count, learning to keep score in board games, learning fractions through pizza diagrams, and the other usual ways. But, my absolute favorite memory about math happened when I was in fifth grade. I was recognized for being "gifted" in math along with about five other students. We were put into a group and allowed to "work at our own pace" in the back of the classroom while the rest of the class did their math with the teacher. I remember feeling so overwhelmed because I didn't really understand some of the concepts. One night I was struggling through my homework and then it struck me that because my dad was an accountant, he probably could help me figure out my challenging assignment! I took my book into his bedroom and together we figured out the tough problems, and I was able to complete my assignment. This is my favorite memory of math as a child because I was able to make connections between school and family. I was able to bond with my dad while doing math!
I'm quite certain that my dad had a lot to do with the career field I picked. I have always felt a close bond with him through math. (Even though I have far surpassed the amount of math he ever took in school) I grew to love math because of my childhood experiences with it. I know that family background has a lot to do with how students feel about a subject. If a student grows up being told by their parents that math is a waste of time, then they will probably never apply themselves in their math class because to them, it is all just a waste of time anyway. I have a friend who grew up listening to his mom tell him how his family "couldn't do math." He never really even tried in high school because he knew there was no point because his family "couldn't do math." After he graduated, he moved away from home and is currently an engineering major at Utah State. That major takes quite a bit of math! He talks about resentment that his mom never gave him the confidence he needed to apply himself in high school.
On the other hand, my parents always expected really good grades from me. If I didn't bring home a good grade they told me they were really disappointed in me because they knew I could do better. But as teachers, we don't necessarily want students to do well because their parents want them to. We want students to do well because they are genuinely interested in our subject. We want them to thirst for knowledge and strive to do their best because it's what they want. Well, for pre-teens and teenagers, this will probably not happen very often. So, we as teachers must try to do the next best thing. We must try to connect math to the students' backgrounds. We must somehow make math meaningful for Linda by showing her that when she bakes with her mom, she is using multiplications of fractions to double the cookie recipe. We must show Juan that when he is shooting hoops with his buddy that they are applying trigonometry to shoot the ball. We must find out what math experiences the student already has background in, even if they didn't even know that math was involved, and show them how math applied then and how math still applies to their lives.
The state and national standards are broad enough that there is plenty of room to make connections with students' home-life to math. The hardest part is finding out these experiences. One way I think I might find out some of their background information is by doing a get to know you questionnaire at the beginning of the year. It's a friendly way to find out more information about students' backgrounds and interests. A question could be phrased, "What experiences do you have with math at home?" or "What activities do you enjoy outside of school? Can you see any connection math may have to these activities?" Then, you can take these experiences, and weave them into your lessons. A story problem could be based on one student's answer to one of these questions. That student will be able to really connect to that question, and chances are, because high schools usually have groups of students that are similar in socioeconomic standing, race, gender, interests, etc., other students will connect with that same problem too!
Another way to find out more about students' backgrounds is to become friendly with the parents. Make sure that the parents know that math is important and that anyone can learn math. Ask them to encourage their child to really apply his or herself. Ask the parents to fill out the same questionnaire (only about their child, not themselves) as a beginning of the year homework assignment. Sometimes parents can see math connections in children's home-life that the children cannot. Some parents are more than willing to help while others want to do absolutely nothing. But, it is worth a try because parents can have a huge influence on children, especially in the pre-teen years.
Once you have the needed background information, it is very easy to connect it to math because math is seriously related to everything! Pretty much any interest or family background a student has can be connected to math in one way or another. I plan to do a lot of application problems in my classroom; application problems that are actually relevant to my students' lives outside of the classroom. Connecting to their home experiences is a great way to do this!
I had lunch with an engineering professor today who said that people are far more likely to go into engineering if they have had family members who are engineers. Family influence can have a huge sway on what we want to become...that's great that you and your dad will be able to bond over math.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I think that a lot of parents (and people in general) have a math phobia and can pass those ideas onto their children as well, like your friend's mom did. That's great that you as a math teacher will seek to disrupt some of these social patterns that keep kids from excelling in your discipline. :)