Toss out those negative misconceptions we’ve cultivated that we’re not good at math.
As a math educator, I often find myself in conversations with parents who tell me, "I was never good at math, so it's not surprising my son isn't good either." I've also spoken with teachers who tell me that a student is failing because "she's just not good at math."
There is a high price for all of this negative talk — nearly 40% of 18- to 24-year-old Americans believe they are "not good at math." And over half have regularly thought that they just "can't do math." Given this lack of confidence, it's not surprising that so many students are struggling in their math courses. Not surprisingly, math is becoming one of the biggest barriers to receiving a college diploma. If we want to maintain our nation's innovative edge in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields, then we'll need to ensure that our students succeed in math. This August over 13 million students will start fall semester at two-year college. More than five million of them will not earn a degree because they will fail to meet their math requirement. Something needs to change. Our societal views of what it means to be "good at math" are often based on popular misconceptions that need to be re-evaluated.
Misconception #1: Math ability is a gift — you either have it or you don't. The reality is everyone has the potential to be good at math. Research has shown that the brain can grow and adapt, which has encouraging implications for how we talk about math ability — we can actually grow our "math brains" through hard work and effort. Furthermore, what we believe about the brain's ability to grow can actually affect academic outcomes. Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck has repeatedly shown that just believing in the brain's ability to grow through hard work can lead to greater success in math.
Misconception #2: Being good at math is about being fast. In fact, emphasis on speed can lead to increased anxiety and "brain freeze." University of Chicago psychologists have found that this anxiety can impede problem solving. "Brain freeze" is real, and math anxiety can induce it. When we emphasize speed only we send the incorrect message that all problems should be solved quickly, which hurts kids' persistence on more complicated tasks.
Misconception #3: Math is all about "rules" and procedures. Of course, math facts and computations are important. Actually, math is much more than that. Math is about making sense of problems and understanding why particular strategies work. Math is not about the "one right way" to solve a problem. Rather, it's about the multiple ways to see and solve problems. There are clear benefits for students in math classes where their teacher gives ample time to share ideas and generate multiple solution strategies. Kids in these classrooms are better at problem solving and critical thinking. They are also better at communicating and collaborating with others. These are precisely the skills that the U.S. Department of Education claims are necessary for student success in the 21st century.
What does this mean for how we should talk about and teach math?
First, banish the "I can't do math" mantra in your home or school. We can all grow our ability to become good at math — and this is precisely the message we should be telling our children.
Second, focus on thinking and understanding, not speed. Ask kids how and why they solved a math problem a particular way. Or ask whether they can solve the problem another way and compare which way is better. Try spending the entire math period digging deeply into one or two problems, as they do in classes in places where math achievement is high, such as Japan.
Third, don't get caught up in the nitty-gritty details of long, complicated calculations. Given the abundance of readily accessible technology, there is no longer a need to place such a heavy emphasis on procedures and rote memorization. By all means, let students use calculators and other technological tools.
If we change our conception of what it means to be good at math, more students will achieve success in the subject.
Kathy Liu Sun, a doctoral candidate at Stanford Graduate School of Education, was a public high school math teacher for nine years in San Jose.
© Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305.
