On teaching and learning math

I was about to turn off my tech and go to bed when I noticed this article pop up on my Twitter feed and was hit by a wave of despair. Mostly because this is all that people will want to ask me about for the next week, but also because of the content itself.

I am a math teacher. And a science teacher, and a disability strategist who is passionate about learning and cognition. I consider it part of my role on this planet to make at least a few less people hate math and I think I do a pretty good job of this. I am passionate about changing our math-phobic society. And I am passionate about good education.Which means people want me to tell them how I feel about this discussion, and mostly how I feel is annoyed.

Education is trend based and follows extreme pendulum swings. The problem is every student's brain works differently. By going with these switches back and forth we continually miss the point - a balanced approach will give all students at least a starting point. The problem isn't discovery learning, the problem is PURE discovery learning.

When I took my IPT class in math education I found it incredibly frustrating because the instructors wanted us to buy into pure discovery learning. They didn't even want to tell us what our midterm was worth because they wanted our class to also be discovery learning - when you are paying that much money for credits this is pretty not okay. I sat through many activities where my brain just wasn't working in the way I needed and felt really really dumb. When they talked about not telling the students the answers in the end because then they won't bother with the discovery I was furious - if I was frustrated and felt dumb I couldn't even imagine how a student who already dislikes and fears math would feel. Pure discovery approach doesn't work for all students and can just increase anxiety.

Pure rote approach is no better. Just learning facts without having to piece it together and join the dots yourself leads to surface level and shallow learning without developing the thinking skills that modern day employers (and educational institutions) are looking for. Beyond that, for many of the students I work with this type of memorization is simply  not possible. Facts without meaning don't count as learning, it counts as regurgitation.


So what should we do? We should balance discovery learning with rote practice. We should teach students HOW to learn, not just what they need to learn. If we actually teach the thinking skills required for learning and problem solving and innovative solutions then students won't face the same anxiety as I did when faced with discovery tasks. And by having students practice the skills they can master the basics that they need for later learning and build confidence. It isn't an exclusive or situation. It isn't an or situation at all. It's an AND situation.

On Raising A Feminist

In the next week I will meet my first nephew when the couple that are collectively my best friend have their baby. This fall I will meet my second when my sister-in-law has hers. I am incredibly excited.

Recently I was talking with the father of the first baby and he expressed frustration with the discussion that has been happening recently about misogyny and rape culture. His frustration was not that the discussion was happening but the type of discussion. He expressed that he wants people to talk about what we do want, not just what’s wrong now. He expressed how he wants articles telling him how to raise his son to be different, not just complaining about the status quo. 

I somewhat disagree. Healing only happens after people talk and have others listen and feel heard, so there is a place for articles simply exploring peoples’ experiences and encouraging others to discuss theirs. It is an important discussion that needs to happen. But he is right that we also need to look at how we move forward. 

So as a complete non-expert in parenting or psychology but someone who plans to love this kid to pieces I asked myself what I would recommend. And this is what I came up with. I have written this

What you already do:

1. Have strong women around. You’ve already made this true. Not only did you marry a smart and strong woman, but you are friends with some kick-ass females. There are two benefits to this. First, because you are friends with women he will see that both males and females are people you can be friends with and value in a nonsexual way as he grows up. Second, he will grow up knowing women who are smart, capable, and just generally amazing so it will be easier for him to see and accept those qualities in other females. 

2. Play with gender roles. You already do this and it will make a huge difference. By seeing you split housework and care he will have less firmly defined ideas of “men’s roles” and “women’s roles”. You’re good at this. You even let me help you build stuff and play with power tools (no matter how scared you are I’ll hurt one of us) and letting him see this will make him see these roles as flexible.

What you will do:

3. Talk to him. You’re right, he is going to get lessons from all sorts of other sources like movies and books and TV shows. But he will also get lessons from talking about them. I’m not saying you have to dissect gender roles in Disney with a toddler, but asking questions about and discussing any issues in any media from a young age will teach him to approach media critically. Even just asking “why do you think character X did action Y?” or “what could so-and-so have done differently?” will make him ask questions instead of just accepting everything that media has to say. And yes, when he gets a little older be brave and have the awkward conversations about how relationships and sexuality are portrayed and how it’s problematic. Get him thinking.  

4. Speaking of media, introduce him to characters who don’t look like him. This isn’t just a gender thing but a general acceptance of diversity thing. From books about gay penguins to shows with girls who do awesome things to comics with protagonists who aren’t white the more he sees people who don’t look like him as relatable characters the better off he will be in many ways. I plan to help with this part by bringing as many alternative books and such as I can!

5. Model empathy. Teach him through example that other people are just as important as he is and matter.  You’ve got this.

You're going to be amazing at this. And I can't wait to meet the little guy!