WANT TO IMPROVE MATH OR ANY OTHER DISCIPLINES?
Are you destined to be a ‘bad at math’ person? Can you fix this negative self-perception?
Zig
Ziglar, the legendary sales master and motivator calls it “stinking thinking.”
Like many other aspects of our life, thinking, “I am bad at math,” or “I’m
allergic to algebra,” can be a self-fulfilling prophesy.
It’s not like the reverse is
true. I am certainly not suggesting that, thinking “I am expert at math,” will
make you one. Let’s say it is better for your desire to master this essential
STEM subject by thinking, “I need to work harder at improving my math skills.”
So
why are some people not working hard at improving their math? After all, it is a critical skill to earn a
good living. More so with the advent of Industry 4.0.
The
same question. Why do some people relish the compounding challenges of math and
excel in the subject?
IT’S ALL IN THE MIND
It
comes down to what, Carol Dweck, the eminent Professor of Psychology at the
Stanford University, calls the ‘growth mindset.’ It is about believing that
your intelligence is highly malleable and can be developed by hard work. This
is closely tied to the findings of brain researchers about the plasticity of
our brain. That our brains will make new connections as we learn. And change.
For better or worse. The most important aspect of this finding is that; we are
in charge of changing our brain. Not the other way round.
But, if we are not vigilant, we can, over time, develop a
‘fixed mindset.’ This state of mind stifles your ability to get out of a rut.
Such as, the belief, “I am bad at math and will always be.”
Other researchers, such as Patricia
Linehan of Purdue University report similar findings. Our learning abilities in
a given subject is driven by our thought orientations. If we develop the
‘incremental orientation,’ we can continually improve our ability by studying
and practicing.
Conversely, with an ‘entity orientation,’ we believe that we
cannot get any better, no matter how hard we try. The salient point is; if we
don’t believe we can improve, we will give up trying.
You may say, “I don’t buy it. If I have an entity
orientation, how come I am good at this and this…?” Linehan has also found that we can have
different orientations for different subjects.
Your ability for working hard at picking up a subject and sustain the
learning is influenced by your motivation for doing so.
Your motivation will be dependent on how important you view
the subject is to you. Math is certainly important in all domains of our life.
THE FEEL GOOD FACTOR
The
other part is your experience in pursuing the learning. Do you feel good? Do
you find the pursuit enjoyable? Do you sense a threat to your self-esteem?
These, plus a host of other questions will strengthen or dampen your resolve to
master math.
The
‘experience’ part of the script is largely written by the teacher. Whether teaching children or adults, the
teacher must be able to stimulate the students’ curiosity, make it interesting,
fulfilling and safe to pursue the learning.
As
far as crafting the ‘experience script’, Dr. John Mighton is one of the write
men (pun intended) for the job. After having nearly failed his calculus in his
first year at university, Dr. Mighton left studying Math for years. He became a
playwright, but had to tutor students in Math to make ends meet. Overcoming his
own ‘massive math anxiety’ John Mighton earned a Ph.D. in Mathematics, and is
the founder of JUMP Math, a charitable organization dedicated to “enhancing the
potential in children by encouraging an understanding and a love for math in
students and educators.”
HOW TO INSPIRE AND ENABLE
Dr.
Mighton’s interview with Scientific American provides enlightening insight on
how to “inspire young problem-solvers and enable virtually all students to
excel in math.” I will attempt to share
the gist of his approach, for better clarity, in three focus areas.
METHOD
The
key idea here is to teach through small manageable challenges and discovery
activities. Make practices interesting and encourage more practice. Allow
students to discover the answers for themselves. Provide immediate feedback.
Intervene only with those who really need help.
The
teacher should not explain too much but to enable the students through a series
of questions. (The so called, ‘Socratic Method.’) The teacher must act as only
a guide, to adjust the size of the challenges when they are too hard. Bonus questions should be used to spur those
who are successful further.
It
would be counterproductive if the teacher overwhelms the students with too much
complexity in the proposition. Be watchful of that.
MINDSET
It is intrinsically important for students to embrace the
growth mindset in order to do well in any domain. The idea is not to attribute
any achievement purely to genetics or entitlement. The focus should be on the
will and effort. It is important that teachers help students believe that they
can get better, with practice.
With practice comes competence, which experts suggest, is the
foundation for confidence. John Mighton believes that 98%-99% of students could
do well if they have good instructions, coupled with the confidence that they
can do well. Once a student decides, “I am never going to be good with math,”
the brain stops working efficiently for this subject.
It would do well for the teacher to engage with the student’s
sense of wonder. Allow them to explore possibilities. To stretch their
abilities.
MOTIVATION
Kids
love repetition and thinking forward, exploring possibilities with a sense of
wonder. Teachers need to incorporate these traits in their motivational
approach. Including for adult students. A sense of wonder is the engine for
possibility thinking.
Teachers
should encourage students to take small and simple risks, allowing them to
experience success frequently. This is reinforced by immediate feedback.
Recognition is one powerful form of motivation.
Students
should be assessed on their efforts and not just their talent.
The
fastest way to destroy excitement is to compare students’ performance with each
other. While they thrive on “collective effervescence,” it will be a wet
blanket to pit them against one another.
A
good way to spur students who are successful with their challenge is to ‘award
them’ bonus questions. It is a pragmatic form of recognition for their
progress.
KEY TAKEAWAY
Students will not excel in math if they have a negative
mindset about the subject. It is important for parents and teachers to remind
kids that being good in math is not a genetic endowment. With practice and
perseverance, anyone can excel in math.
For
teachers, Professor Jo Boaler of Stanford University advises to make the
problems enjoyable to work on. According to her, “students learn math best when
they approach the subject as something they enjoy. Speed pressure, timed testing
and blind memorization pose high hurdles in the pursuit of math.”
The
altruistic Dr. John Mighton reminds teachers to help students pursue their
expertise in math in small achievable steps. There is no stronger motivation to
move forward than the experience of savoring success after each challenge.
These basic principles of learning and teaching can be applied to any subject. Step up to the challenge, stop the thinking that you are naturally good or bad at something. Recognize it takes hard work to master something and start with a positive approach. Practice, practice, practice with the faith that you can use your mind to change your brain. Work with your teacher to start with small wins. Help your teacher to make learning fun. Make it enjoyable for the teacher too. Recognize your teacher as much as the teacher recognizes you. For teachers, the keystone strategy is not to hurry to the next level. Make the student earn the right to progress. Strengthening the learning process is to celebrate successes.
Are you allergic to algebra, sick of science or suffering from tech fatigue? There is hope yet.
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