Week 1: Establishing Confidence

This week's online activities really established a mindset that teachers and students should have prior to engaging in mathematics. By addressing stereotypes, reflecting on myths we have heard about math, and looking for instances where stereotypes are broken allows us to confront and reflect upon our own math experiences, successful or unsuccessful, and uncover those experiences.

Being aware of how math is portrayed through media, fashion etc. shows us as teachers why young people may be so hesitant towards the subject. The overall big idea we uncovered this week was that

everybody can do math.

So, knowing this as teachers, why should we not have our students know this as well? In my forum post I addressed the myth that some people are left-brained (logical) and some are right-brained (creative) and there is no crossover. This means that if you are good at math you cannot do well in the arts, or if you excelled in arts, you could not do well in math. This seems as though a heavy weight excuse for those who do not want to try at the "opposing" discipline. If anything it allows students to give up much more easily because they are going in with the mindset that they cannot accomplish much because it is not their strength. And as students go further into their education they follow their strengths. As educators, especially in junior intermediate, where students are becoming more eager to identify themselves, we should be showing and encouraging students to see disciplines as integrated subjects that make up our world. Because they are. We should be insisting that you are whole-brained and as said in the video The Brain science on Growth Mindset mistakes help to grow your brain.

EpilepsyUni. August 16 2013. epilepsyu.com

It is absolutely crucial to establish an environment that encourages students to have an open mind, mistakes are welcome, and have them know they are capable of being successful at math. Doing this will be a stepping stone towards confidence and student success. 

Starting in September we have the opportunity to debunk any stereotypes in our classroom. We could have students do the exact thing we are doing in class. We could be asking them about their personal math story and have them address stereotypes and myths they may have, and smash the stereotypes for them. We could show students Hollywood Hates Math  (appropriate clips) and challenge students to become aware of any time math negatively comes up when they are watching television or movies, and have them bring those instances to the classroom.

We could also have them look for instances where stereotypes are being altered. One particular scene that came to mind for this was from the movie Stand and Deliver:

In this scene the teacher, Escalante, shatters his students' own ideas of what they can accomplish in math. He challenges them with something new and difficult, algebra, and proves to them that math is in their blood. You can see after the student correctly answers 0 the look of satisfaction on his face. It takes a teacher to come in and drive confidence into students. Establishing confidence from the start will put students on a pathway to success.

Sources:

Jo Boaler: The Brain Science On Growth Mindset. (2015). Retrieved September 23, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4xqzgBy-lM 

Stand and Deliver (1988) scene. (2013). Retrieved September 23, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3a-bXXN9Xc