Open the Gate

From the desk of Leigh Ann . . .

I just finished reading an article that called math “the gatekeeper of success.”  Sounded a little scary to me, but got me thinking.  A lack of skill and confidence in math problem solving can affect the ability to make some critically important decisions.  Often when people are asked why they find math difficult the answer is, “I just never understood it,” or “It’s just too abstract and I can’t relate to it.”  So, what can we do as teachers to open the gate and let the understanding in?

Creating a climate where math is meaningful and children are free to explore is a good start.  Students who are taught with rote memorization and isolated worksheets have difficulty recognizing and retaining concepts when they need them for real world applications – which is why we learn them in the first place.  One of the best ways to make math meaningful is to have rich conversations about how and why things work.  We need to model reasoning and problem solving strategies, as well as build the self-assurance needed to take risks to be a problem solver.  We can help students get excited about math by talking and experimenting together.

Facilitate discussions and build self-confidence with some questions like:

• What do you think?
• Where should we begin?
• What do we know so far?
• How did you solve that problem?
• Why does that work?
• Did anyone solve that problem a different way?
• Can you convince us that makes sense?
• Do you agree?
• Why is that true?
• Can you model for us?  Show us what you did.
• How did you reach that conclusion?
• Will you talk us through the steps you took?
• Can anyone think of another example?
• Will that always work?  Why or why not?
• Do you see a pattern unfolding?
• What would happen if . . .?
• Can you predict what might happen next?
• How can you compare your process with ______’s ?
• What information was important in solving this problem?
• What are some other possibilities?

We can also help students connect to math by finding mathematical ideas and applications in other aspects of our learning day.

• What ideas have we learned that might help us solve this problem?
• How does this relate to ______ ?
• Did you see any use of math in this story, video, or event?
• Give an example of where you might see ______?
• How did this scientist use math?
• How did this community use math to solve this problem?
• How did we use math in this plan?

As a student, I remember thinking that my teachers simply just knew the answer to every math problem.  By consciously modeling how we attack problems and talking through the processes, we can show our students that we don’t simply know the answers by osmosis.  We have had to develop strategies to be problem solvers.  Nurturing emergent math students by providing them with opportunities to talk and explore in partnerships helps them make sense of math concepts and can also provide opportunities to build confidence, persistence, and the curiosity to want to learn more.  I have always wanted to inspire the kind of excitement Ms. Frizzle does in the Magic School Bus series.  I want to yell out, “Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!”  It is through this process that we allow our students to move forward and develop the confidence to open the gate to becoming competent math problem solvers.