Dear Parents,
I hope that you will agree with me on the following:
In the process of helping your kids - my students - to succeed in Math, the very first step (and what I think is the most important step) is to banish the "I can't do it" mantra at home and in school, and to make students BELIEVE that they CAN DO MATH.
We can all develop and grow our ability to become good at math — and this is precisely the message I will repeatedly tell my students on daily basis. I encourage you to maintain a positive home atmosphere in regards to your child's Math abilities. Encourage your kids to work hard on developing their brains and talents and please do not support or cultivate your child's negative attitude towards Math.
During my long career I have heard many times parents saying, "I was never good at math, I never liked it, so there is no surprise that my child isn’t good in Math either." I also heard misconceptions about math abilities, which may traumatize students. The most popular of them are based on wrong beliefs that math ability is a gift, and you either have it or you don't; that there are some races/nationalities which are naturally better or worse in Math than others; there are also some gender-based misconceptions; and many other negative beliefs about students' relations with Mathematics.
According to most recent research there is a high price for all such negative talks and attitudes towards Mathematics — "...nearly 40% of 18- to 24-year-old Americans think that they are ‘NOT GOOD’ IN MATHEMATICS. And over half have regularly thought that they just ‘can NOT 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... "
To improve this situation, I will coach and advocate my students:
In my Math classes, I will focus on thinking and understanding, not speed. I will ask students how and why they solved a math problem a particular way; or whether they can solve the problem another way and compare which is better.
I will advise students that Math is much more than just numbers, rules and procedures. 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.
I need your help in:
1. Banishing the "I can NOT do" mantra at home; Building your child's confidence; Making student to believe that he or she has absolute potential to succeed in Math.
2. Explaining to your children that their brains can build new cells and grow during thinking and problem solving processes. According to multiple studies of Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck , just believing in the brain's ability to grow through hard work can lead to greater success in Mathematics.
3. Encouraging your children to work really hard in their Math classes.
4. Making your kids understand that to be good at Math has nothing to do with being Fast. Yes, students will work hard on solving problems, but they will not be asked to think and act quickly while working in my classes. When students give enough effort to learning, and build their confidence, the problem of "freezing” or "going blank" on tests, will gradually disappear.
5. Ensuring your children that making mistakes in math is absolutely Okay, it is the natural part of learning and discovering process. Conceptual Math mistakes help us to learn and to grow our brain. Analyzing why and how mistakes were done and correcting them, helps to build stronger brain and enhances the intelligence.
Thank you very much for reading this page.
Your comments are greatly appreciated.
I hope that you will agree with me on the following:
In the process of helping your kids - my students - to succeed in Math, the very first step (and what I think is the most important step) is to banish the "I can't do it" mantra at home and in school, and to make students BELIEVE that they CAN DO MATH.
We can all develop and grow our ability to become good at math — and this is precisely the message I will repeatedly tell my students on daily basis. I encourage you to maintain a positive home atmosphere in regards to your child's Math abilities. Encourage your kids to work hard on developing their brains and talents and please do not support or cultivate your child's negative attitude towards Math.
During my long career I have heard many times parents saying, "I was never good at math, I never liked it, so there is no surprise that my child isn’t good in Math either." I also heard misconceptions about math abilities, which may traumatize students. The most popular of them are based on wrong beliefs that math ability is a gift, and you either have it or you don't; that there are some races/nationalities which are naturally better or worse in Math than others; there are also some gender-based misconceptions; and many other negative beliefs about students' relations with Mathematics.
According to most recent research there is a high price for all such negative talks and attitudes towards Mathematics — "...nearly 40% of 18- to 24-year-old Americans think that they are ‘NOT GOOD’ IN MATHEMATICS. And over half have regularly thought that they just ‘can NOT 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... "
To improve this situation, I will coach and advocate my students:
- to build and maintain their confidence in Math;
- to become better at problem solving and critical thinking;
- to improve their communication and collaboration skills.
In my Math classes, I will focus on thinking and understanding, not speed. I will ask students how and why they solved a math problem a particular way; or whether they can solve the problem another way and compare which is better.
I will advise students that Math is much more than just numbers, rules and procedures. 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.
I need your help in:
1. Banishing the "I can NOT do" mantra at home; Building your child's confidence; Making student to believe that he or she has absolute potential to succeed in Math.
2. Explaining to your children that their brains can build new cells and grow during thinking and problem solving processes. According to multiple studies of Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck , just believing in the brain's ability to grow through hard work can lead to greater success in Mathematics.
3. Encouraging your children to work really hard in their Math classes.
4. Making your kids understand that to be good at Math has nothing to do with being Fast. Yes, students will work hard on solving problems, but they will not be asked to think and act quickly while working in my classes. When students give enough effort to learning, and build their confidence, the problem of "freezing” or "going blank" on tests, will gradually disappear.
5. Ensuring your children that making mistakes in math is absolutely Okay, it is the natural part of learning and discovering process. Conceptual Math mistakes help us to learn and to grow our brain. Analyzing why and how mistakes were done and correcting them, helps to build stronger brain and enhances the intelligence.
Thank you very much for reading this page.
Your comments are greatly appreciated.