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Banish the stigma: you are not bad at math. Math is bad at you.<\/h1>\n

We can move math beyond worksheets and imaginary word problems. Let’s quit making math about sharing made-up apples, fishes or shoes.<\/p>\n

Let’s tie math to the real world: real problems for students to solve, what’s going on around them, and how students learn. If you’re trying to save the world, you’re not gonna let a little math get in the way, are you?<\/p>\n

Here’s 4 ways to make math more relevant for students and for teachers<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>First take the terror out of trigonometry.<\/h2>\n

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If you think about it, math is a foreign language for everyone the world over. No matter what language or which alphabet you use to communicate, you have to switch over to a different set of symbols when it’s math time. Combine that with musty textbooks, incomprehensible graphs and basically any classroom from 1956-1998 inclusive and many people either struggle with math or are averse to it.<\/p>\n

So how do you encourage a math-happy mindset?<\/h3>\n

Jo Boaler and her students at Stanford University have created have created a free online course for students<\/a> aimed at creating a positive math mindset. YouCubed combines videos, quizzes and lessons all aimed at making math feel friendlier.<\/p>\n

Youcubed<\/a>\u00a0is a great place to start shifting your math instruction and plans. Dip a toe in:\u00a0do a week of Inspirational Math with your students.\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0The problems are accessible, but also allow room for deep exploration and challenge. This is a resource that can be used all year long.<\/p>\n

Right! Now that we’re all in a good place with this math business, let’s look at four ways we can stay there.<\/p>\n

1. We’re all in this together: collaborative math ftw<\/h2>\n

Students learn a great deal through collaborative discussions about math concepts. Talking through a math problem with a partner gives students a chance to express concepts in a small group format. They can try new things and learn form each other, and we know that this is one of the best ways for middle grades students to learn. At Williston Central School, in Williston VT, students in sixth grade math educator Jared Bailey’s class captured the discussion that ensued as they grappled with division as a group.<\/p>\n

The discussion started with a lot of confusion (and some consternation), so the students quickly developed a norm for their conversation: if you have the pencil, you do the talking. Woot! Let’s hear it for the Speaking Pencil! Next, the students shared a couple different theories about how division works. Then Bailey brought some structure to the conversation with a dollars and cents example. And at that point, students broke into smaller conversations to work on the new example, while still respecting the Speaking Pencil.<\/p>\n

For people (especially adults) for whom the phrase “grappled with division” brings on hives, the idea that you can talk about what’s confusing you, that you can even express that confusion in a supportive peer group feels like a barrel of Benadryl, baby.<\/p>\n

2. Hands-on math: the project-based learning approach<\/h2>\n

When students do hands-on projects in math, they create a mental scaffold of concepts. And they may not even know they’re doing it, what with being so caught up in saving salamanders, measuring contamination in a nearby water source<\/a> or determining how much food is needed to address a shortfall in their community.<\/p>\n

It’s all math, but it’s cleverly disguised as Getting Things Done. And even if students still aren’t entirely sold on math (keep pushing the YouCubed), I bet they really like Getting Things Done.<\/p>\n

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