EDUC115N How to Learn Math Final Post

This is my final review of the EDUC115N class: How to Learn Math.

I want to troll through the resources and link to the most valuable items that I am going to put to use in my math class.

Developing a Growth Mindset

All students can learn math, but they don't know that yet, and juggling, yes juggling, can help teach them that. We are going to start our math class learning how to juggle. I need students to understand that with the proper instruction and the proper mindset that they can learn anything. They should also begin to understand how it is the brain works.

Goal #1

• Students Develop a Growth Mindset
• Students Learn how the Brain Learns

After this we will use an activity called number talks each and every day. We do not leave the first two goals behind forever. We revisit those ideas over and over, but we also build on them. The class needs to practice making mistakes and celebrating them, using them to learn and eventually realize that mistakes are where the real learning happens.

Goal #2

• Students become comfortable making mistakes
• Students begin to develop number sense 

Number talks is basically where the teacher gives the class an equation to solve mentally. Students do the mental calculations. Students’ strategies are shared and discussed to help all students think more flexibly as they work with numbers and operations.

For example: 9.8 + 8.7

1. Get students to estimate before attempting to solve. 
2. Ask students to mentally solve the problem.
3. Have them explain to partners and the class how they solved the problem.

It's much more involved than this, but the idea is that students see different ways to solve things, they are free to make mistakes and they develop language and thinking skills needed for math.

Students should talk to each other and the teacher about ideas – Why did I choose this method? Does it work in other cases?  How is the method similar or different to methods other people used?   

Goal #3

• Students see themselves as capable at learning and succeeding in math
• Students think creatively and openly about numbers 

Mathematics classrooms should be places where students believe:

1. Everyone can do well in math
2. Mathematics Problems can be solved with many different insights and methods
3. Mistakes are valuable, they encourage brain growth and learning