Learning needs to have meaning. If a student can draw meaning from a topic, for example, how a certain topic is used in the everyday world, the topic can be more relevant to them. In basic math classes it is pretty easy to show the students how the topics are used everyday. The problem arises when the students start taking more abstract math courses, basically Algebra and above. Many algebra topics can be related to everyday situations, but not all careers use algebra skills. The trick here is to make the harder to relate to topics more interesting.
As a teacher of algebra, I have found that it is helpful for my students to have a general idea when they will use a skill again. For example, solving linear systems of equations is a hard topic to explain how it fits into everyday life, because it really doesn't. This skill is not used in an average person's life on a daily basis. For this skill, and many others, I explain to my students that they many not use this topic, but it is a required skill to move to the next level in math (I usually tell them when they will see it again), which they will need to complete in order to reach where they want to go in life, even if it's just graduating from high school. This discussion sometimes isn't enough to get the students motivated and excited to learn a given topic, the good news is, math is very easy to develop learning games around. Games are a great tool to get almost all, if not all, of the students excited to learn.
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I struggled with math in school. I wished my teacher would have had some games to make it more exciting. I agree with you that some math you only need to know it so you can complete another new skill, or like you said graduate from high school. Most kids at the secondary level are motivated to learn knowing that it is required to graduate. It is good that you tell them that you will need to use the math skills later. This should help them to retain it better than if they thought they had to do today's assignment and then get rid of this information.
ReplyDeleteJen
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about student's drawing connections between topic and real life. I don't know about you but I often have a difficult time with this. I try to find ways to help student make the connection but often I find that my students think that "your just a teacher, what do you know about real life." It is so frustrating.
I love how you find ways to associate math with real life. I wish I would have had a teacher like you when I was in school. My experience in math was so negative that I never found any motivation to learn.
I agree with you. Learning is much more effective when the students can see the relevance of what they are learning. I think relevance can be one of the most motivating tools we have as teachers. I have a lot of respect for you and all math teachers because I can remember that the most often asked question in my math classes in high school was, “Why do we need to know this?”
ReplyDeleteBrian Allred