WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:03.610 --> 00:00:09.330 Welcome everyone. My name is Sandra Zietara. I'm so happy to be joining you all at this year's 00:00:09.330 --> 00:00:13.740 OAME 2020 virtual conference. Thank you for taking the time to listen in today 00:00:13.740 --> 00:00:21.119 I am an OCT certified teacher in mathematics and history and I currently work with Mathnasium as the education field specialist. 00:00:24.440 --> 00:00:29.399 Today, I'd like to share what I've learned about math anxiety through my experiences and primarily explore the role of teachers in changing their 00:00:29.439 --> 00:00:34.409 attitudes towards mathematics to help students overcome their math anxieties. 00:00:40.329 --> 00:00:45.808 Before I begin just a little bit more about myself as I said, my name is Sandra and I work for Mathnasium 00:00:46.600 --> 00:00:51.809 Upon completing my teaching degree and my master's degree in curriculum studies and teacher development at OISE 00:00:51.809 --> 00:00:54.448 I joined the Mathnasium home office team in 00:00:55.090 --> 00:00:56.410 2015. 00:00:56.410 --> 00:00:59.009 I work closely with our field team in training and education 00:00:59.410 --> 00:01:02.639 departments to provide supports to all our centers in North America. 00:01:02.640 --> 00:01:08.220 And in this role I've explored in depth the provincial math curricula across the country and helped develop 00:01:08.619 --> 00:01:11.729 assessments and Mathnasium curriculum for our Canadian students. 00:01:12.280 --> 00:01:18.659 I am passionate about teaching but even more so about learning from everyone around me. I am absolutely a lifelong learner 00:01:19.240 --> 00:01:24.360 It is my goal in life to inspire positivity and confidence in my students with mathematics 00:01:24.360 --> 00:01:31.829 and I'd say my favorite part about the world of math education is definitely seeing how we can show a growing child 00:01:32.020 --> 00:01:36.210 that the way they thought or possibly were told was impossible to understand 00:01:36.939 --> 00:01:42.419 is false and that in fact understanding mathematics is possible for all students. 00:01:48.170 --> 00:01:50.170 So, what is it that I want to share today? 00:01:50.660 --> 00:01:57.070 The biggest strain on my heart when I instruct students is seeing high school students seize up when they have a math problem they do 00:01:57.070 --> 00:02:01.389 not know how to approach or at least they don't believe they can approach. 00:02:01.820 --> 00:02:09.189 In one form or another math anxiety shows up in many students as a result of years of hearing the specific language around the subject 00:02:09.320 --> 00:02:12.879 or as a result of the feedback they have received in their own math learning. 00:02:13.430 --> 00:02:20.169 Today, I want to share what I have learned at Mathnasium as the four ways we can help our students overcome math anxiety without 00:02:20.900 --> 00:02:22.900 having to overcome our own. 00:02:23.480 --> 00:02:28.839 One as the leaders of our children's math education, we need to first share the beauty of mathematics 00:02:30.350 --> 00:02:33.249 Two, we need to address foundational gaps. 00:02:34.220 --> 00:02:38.559 Three, we then need to communicate why mathematics is important. 00:02:40.670 --> 00:02:43.600 Four, finally, we need to foster a growth mindset. 00:02:44.600 --> 00:02:50.589 As always we as math educators play a significant role, but not the only role. By the end of today 00:02:50.590 --> 00:02:54.369 I hope that the information related here is something we can share with our parents as well 00:02:54.650 --> 00:02:59.650 even virtually now as parents play a greater role in their children's math education. 00:03:04.650 --> 00:03:06.689 I am a math educator. 00:03:06.689 --> 00:03:12.689 I have hobbies and I have things I enjoy doing but there is nothing I am more passionate about than teaching math. 00:03:13.360 --> 00:03:18.449 As, I'm sure a lot of you can relate to nothing compares to the feeling of knowing that you helped a child 00:03:18.610 --> 00:03:19.720 understand something 00:03:19.720 --> 00:03:26.789 they did not believe they could understand. The feeling of showing them that they now know more than they think that they do. 00:03:28.030 --> 00:03:31.049 Showing them cool tricks that make something seemingly difficult 00:03:31.659 --> 00:03:37.769 actually fun and enjoyable. For a long while math was always this cool fun and mostly easy 00:03:38.409 --> 00:03:40.409 subject for me. 00:03:41.680 --> 00:03:46.739 Now that doesn't mean this has always been the case and actually I love to say this to my students. 00:03:46.739 --> 00:03:52.619 I wasn't always the brightest in math. I was a very hard worker a very hard worker. 00:03:52.620 --> 00:03:57.929 I was that student who always said her homework done and put in a hundred and ten percent into everything she did. 00:03:58.540 --> 00:04:04.769 Although I performed well in all areas, math tended to be that one area where things seemed to click the most. 00:04:05.470 --> 00:04:11.849 From grade seven where my teacher had me stay behind and try out bonus math questions on my tests because he saw my potential. 00:04:12.280 --> 00:04:16.109 To grade twelve I studied hard and it showed in my grades. 00:04:18.099 --> 00:04:19.359 But then of course 00:04:19.359 --> 00:04:24.929 university came along and although I did my best to practice all different types of problems for a test or exam 00:04:24.930 --> 00:04:28.470 I quickly realized there was no time at all to rely on this approach. 00:04:28.470 --> 00:04:34.499 I quickly came to terms with the fact that my study habits from high school were not going to work in university. 00:04:35.320 --> 00:04:40.289 Particularly for my math courses I needed to dig deeper into the concepts I was learning. 00:04:40.810 --> 00:04:47.669 I needed to connect concepts together and rebuild a strong foundation and what it is that I thought I knew about math. 00:04:48.370 --> 00:04:54.510 I can truthfully say that I did not fully get there, but I did what I could to perform well enough in my courses. 00:04:55.449 --> 00:05:00.869 The challenge was fun as every mathematician understands, but it was stressful as a student. 00:05:01.570 --> 00:05:09.419 Particularly as a shy introvert I could not get myself to ask questions. Let alone admit that I was not fully understanding something in mathematics. 00:05:10.419 --> 00:05:17.218 For the first time in my life I was not understanding everything. I was blanking out on tests. It crushed me. 00:05:17.480 --> 00:05:21.520 It made me seriously rethink why I chose to major in mathematics. 00:05:21.710 --> 00:05:26.229 Of course, I dug myself out of these harmful thoughts, but it was never easy. 00:05:27.110 --> 00:05:34.659 For the first time I understood slightly what I had only witnessed other students experiencing in previous grades, math anxiety. 00:05:35.450 --> 00:05:38.499 I have only experienced my own changing feelings toward mathematics 00:05:38.660 --> 00:05:43.510 but I have witnessed math anxiety show its face with many students and even my husband. 00:05:44.420 --> 00:05:48.969 Suffering his own challenges with anxiety my husband, who's the brightest mathematician 00:05:48.970 --> 00:05:53.770 I know, felt what most of us felt towards mathematics at some point in our learning 00:05:54.170 --> 00:05:56.949 the only difference is that he felt it at the Masters level. 00:05:57.770 --> 00:06:05.559 To watch someone who has always excelled in the subject develop a deep anxiety towards numbers and mathematical problems was well interesting. 00:06:06.380 --> 00:06:10.210 I want to initiate a conversation today amongst us about math anxiety. 00:06:10.610 --> 00:06:15.939 The little bit that we know about it is that it can show up in various degrees and it affects student performance and 00:06:16.190 --> 00:06:18.190 exploration on anything math or number related. 00:06:18.980 --> 00:06:20.980 We have the power to make a difference. 00:06:21.320 --> 00:06:25.659 We have the power to inspire a deep love of something that shows up everywhere in our lives. 00:06:26.240 --> 00:06:28.330 To help our students overcome math anxiety 00:06:28.640 --> 00:06:33.939 we must first change any negative feelings that we have on the subject and ask ourselves, am 00:06:34.340 --> 00:06:37.810 I creating an environment where all students can excel in mathematics? 00:06:42.350 --> 00:06:48.640 Parents and teachers play a major first step in helping our children overcome math anxiety. Now, why is this so important? 00:06:49.550 --> 00:06:51.550 Confidence is crucial to math performance. 00:06:52.160 --> 00:06:59.260 Student success relies on a deep understanding of math knowledge. Yes, but in order to develop this a student must want to get there. 00:06:59.960 --> 00:07:01.960 Anxiety can be a true barrier to this. 00:07:02.960 --> 00:07:06.069 Understand that increasing anxiety lowers success and confidence. 00:07:06.530 --> 00:07:12.640 We need to be cautious and move away from the use of language such as I'm not good at math or I don't like math. 00:07:13.250 --> 00:07:17.980 We need to help each other out as teachers and work together to help make sense of math concepts. 00:07:17.980 --> 00:07:20.319 I remind our instructors all the time 00:07:21.230 --> 00:07:25.960 who oftentimes are inspiring math teachers that we need to rely on our fellow teachers in the room 00:07:26.060 --> 00:07:32.369 to help us out when we're not able to and we're not able to help us make sense of the math concept using methods 00:07:32.370 --> 00:07:34.370 we've already tried. That's okay. 00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:39.210 We all have had our bad experiences in learning and teaching math. It's inevitable. 00:07:39.760 --> 00:07:43.110 Some of us are even math teachers because we never excelled in the subject 00:07:43.110 --> 00:07:48.059 and so we want to actually spend the rest of our lives helping students make sense of something that we only 00:07:48.220 --> 00:07:50.080 understood as we grew up. 00:07:50.080 --> 00:07:57.389 When it comes to helping our students ease their math anxiety, it's not about overcoming our own anxieties, it's about changing our attitude. 00:08:01.810 --> 00:08:07.679 The first step is to share the beauty. A simple yet crucial place to start with our math students. 00:08:08.620 --> 00:08:11.640 Studying math should not equate to feelings of stress anxiety. 00:08:12.490 --> 00:08:17.250 Math is about taking on challenges and this should ignite excitement. 00:08:18.010 --> 00:08:22.679 A challenge should not be about reaching an end and in this case the answer to a problem. 00:08:23.500 --> 00:08:28.380 If mastering anything in life is about consistent practice effort and proper guidance and instruction 00:08:29.050 --> 00:08:36.119 then math should be no different. We as math teachers are responsible for ensuring that all aspects are taken care of. 00:08:37.120 --> 00:08:39.120 Create fond memories in math class. 00:08:39.610 --> 00:08:45.390 The most beautiful thing about math for me as a student has been the learning that it is more than just the theorems and 00:08:45.850 --> 00:08:47.850 concepts found in math courses. 00:08:47.890 --> 00:08:51.119 It's about the overarching themes to found in the study of mathematics. 00:08:52.510 --> 00:08:57.419 Identifying patterns, reasoning, logic, problem-solving. 00:09:02.430 --> 00:09:04.670 The next step is to address the gaps. 00:09:05.520 --> 00:09:07.520 As I mentioned about my own math anxiety 00:09:07.650 --> 00:09:12.889 I began to develop it as a result of not addressing foundational gaps from my high school math learning. 00:09:13.440 --> 00:09:15.650 Having completed my homework daily, 00:09:16.290 --> 00:09:22.459 I prioritized grades over understanding. I went into first year university not understanding the true concept of limits for example 00:09:23.070 --> 00:09:27.439 despite always achieving a 90% and up in all of my math courses. 00:09:28.350 --> 00:09:33.589 I made a consistent effort to build a strong math base, but not a conscious effort. 00:09:34.350 --> 00:09:41.149 I completed my work and checked at the back of the textbook that my answers were correct then making the processes my teacher showed in the 00:09:41.190 --> 00:09:43.520 classrooms and then memorizing those for the tests. 00:09:44.100 --> 00:09:46.939 What I did not do was sit down and think about what I was doing - 00:09:47.820 --> 00:09:51.950 connect concepts together and understand what was happening when I was performing the math. 00:09:53.040 --> 00:09:57.230 I lacked number sense. I lacked the ability to make sense of numbers. 00:09:57.870 --> 00:10:00.650 It's no surprise that I fell in love with the Mathnasium 00:10:00.780 --> 00:10:03.889 methodology when I learned about it in the middle of my undergraduate studies. 00:10:04.680 --> 00:10:10.160 Mathnasium embodied for me everything that I wanted to do as a teacher and be for my students. 00:10:15.320 --> 00:10:20.859 Probably the most popular question we as math teachers hear is well, why do I have to learn this? 00:10:21.529 --> 00:10:24.249 It's a fact math is all around us. 00:10:24.649 --> 00:10:29.229 It's important to learn it because it shows up in the smallest of ways like calculating a tip at a restaurant 00:10:29.360 --> 00:10:33.099 dinner or the biggest of ways like choosing to go into a STEM career. 00:10:33.620 --> 00:10:35.620 No doubt, there is value in learning 00:10:36.079 --> 00:10:38.499 mathematics and we need to show this to our students. 00:10:39.800 --> 00:10:46.120 As wonderful as this all is and as a math enthusiast it really is truly remarkable. As a student 00:10:46.120 --> 00:10:48.789 it was not the most favorable answer to receive. 00:10:49.430 --> 00:10:56.769 In my moments of extreme anxiety I could care less that math showed up in the patterns formed by sunflowers or the golden ratio. 00:10:57.560 --> 00:11:03.310 These did not help me see a purpose in learning mathematics. I really wish they did but they didn't. 00:11:04.220 --> 00:11:07.630 I wish that I had continued my math learning beyond my undergraduate studies. 00:11:08.209 --> 00:11:14.529 Due to my anxieties and my decreased confidence in math, I began to develop a negative attitude towards the subject. 00:11:14.529 --> 00:11:21.729 I did not understand why people could carry on learning about something that could go so deep and not provide you with immediate results. 00:11:22.250 --> 00:11:25.390 Why study something for years without reaching some conclusion? 00:11:26.149 --> 00:11:29.499 But that's the thing. That is exactly the beauty of mathematics. 00:11:30.230 --> 00:11:31.750 The life lesson in it 00:11:31.750 --> 00:11:33.380 all is that there is beauty to 00:11:33.380 --> 00:11:40.149 problem-solving and trying to put together facts and prove theorems and reach conclusions without the guarantee of getting there. 00:11:40.610 --> 00:11:44.229 The study of mathematics is not how we learned in most of our lives. 00:11:44.779 --> 00:11:50.499 It's not merely about being presented with the problem, solving it and then checking if it is correct. 00:11:50.959 --> 00:11:55.239 Math is about being presented with the problem and reasoning our way through it. 00:11:55.910 --> 00:11:58.839 It's not about that numerical answer at the end of it all 00:11:59.029 --> 00:12:03.219 but about the logic and reasoning that goes into understanding the path forward. 00:12:03.949 --> 00:12:09.009 If there is one takeaway I have learned from my own experience it is that I want to provide specific 00:12:09.829 --> 00:12:13.659 relatable examples of applications of math to my students lives. 00:12:19.070 --> 00:12:25.629 Finally to change our attitudes and help students overcome their math anxieties we need to foster a growth mindset. 00:12:26.180 --> 00:12:30.609 In my own experiences it was hard work that helped me succeed in math. 00:12:31.460 --> 00:12:35.049 I developed an interest in it after my grade 7 teacher pointed out my potential. 00:12:35.050 --> 00:12:40.479 I did not excel, but the interest was there and the dedication and hard work. 00:12:41.210 --> 00:12:44.259 I believed that I could excel in math because my teacher believed it. 00:12:45.110 --> 00:12:48.460 A growth mindset helps students believe they can become smarter. 00:12:49.070 --> 00:12:52.210 Every student can learn math. Every student can understand math. 00:12:52.760 --> 00:12:58.840 It's the role of the educator to help the student make sense of the math thus instilling the confidence you need to succeed. 00:12:59.210 --> 00:13:05.019 If there's anything I've learned as I've grown up and thought deeply about my own experiences in math learning 00:13:05.060 --> 00:13:08.799 it's that mistakes are normal. And in fact, they are expected. 00:13:09.350 --> 00:13:15.130 Math educators should embrace mistakes. Don't be afraid to make mistakes in your math in front of your students. 00:13:15.680 --> 00:13:19.510 In fact don't show perfection. Our students look up to us. 00:13:20.240 --> 00:13:26.740 We prepare for our lessons and we visit the same concepts multiple times almost memorizing solutions and answers. 00:13:27.620 --> 00:13:33.700 As wonderful as it is to prepare for our lessons, it is problematic to display perfection to our students with math. 00:13:34.820 --> 00:13:37.510 In easing my own anxieties, I always reminded myself 00:13:38.030 --> 00:13:45.280 what I'm seeing now from this teacher, this professor, this person is a result of hard work and long thought. 00:13:45.920 --> 00:13:50.349 I am no less of a math person if I don't know the answer to a problem right away. 00:13:51.410 --> 00:13:55.420 I encourage everyone to talk through your own thought processes when tackling a math problem. 00:13:56.630 --> 00:14:01.539 Put yourself in your own shoes when you were a younger student and talk through your own reasoning. 00:14:02.420 --> 00:14:05.710 Why do you go one way and not the other in solving a math problem? 00:14:06.500 --> 00:14:08.859 Why do you start with one number versus another? 00:14:10.340 --> 00:14:12.939 Embrace alternative solutions to math problems. 00:14:13.370 --> 00:14:19.450 Even if you have your own math anxiety as a teacher, allow your students to be creative with their solutions. 00:14:19.820 --> 00:14:24.729 And then reach out to your fellow math educators if you're not comfortable in understanding a student solution. 00:14:25.550 --> 00:14:27.550 Don't just rely on processes. 00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:33.419 When possible explain how processes and algorithms developed when they are useful. 00:14:34.630 --> 00:14:39.720 Students should not view math as a subject where speed and memorization are required. 00:14:40.870 --> 00:14:45.450 Help students embrace the beauty in challenges and problem solving. 00:14:49.420 --> 00:14:54.660 If you're interested in our Mathnasium methodology or instruction or our curriculum, 00:14:54.790 --> 00:15:01.979 feel free to join us on Facebook and particularly you may benefit from joining us during our Facebook live sessions. 00:15:01.980 --> 00:15:07.230 Here we take a look at some core mathematical concepts and help guide students, parents and teachers 00:15:07.990 --> 00:15:14.580 through some exercises and the thought process driving their solutions. We want to support where math can take students. 00:15:15.220 --> 00:15:18.209 Change the conversations exploring cool math. 00:15:19.390 --> 00:15:26.040 Extend student thinking. Show connections that exist that math topics are not stand-alones. 00:15:27.100 --> 00:15:33.689 Move from the concrete, the representational to the abstract when students are ready at their own pace. 00:15:39.190 --> 00:15:41.130 Thank you everyone for listening in today. 00:15:41.130 --> 00:15:47.609 I want to stress that the content that I've shared with you all is completely based on my experience and 00:15:48.040 --> 00:15:53.939 my observations in working with our Mathnasium students or students of mine in the past. 00:15:54.490 --> 00:16:02.280 I'm very much interested in how many as educators can improve student confidence in mathematics through our own attitudes towards the subject. 00:16:03.220 --> 00:16:08.489 Please reach out to me at sandra.zietara@gmail.com if you have any resources, or 00:16:08.770 --> 00:16:15.960 experiences to share or if you'd like to continue this conversation. I am so happy to continue it and learn from all of you. 00:16:19.300 --> 00:16:23.040 The content I have shared with you is cited on this last slide. 00:16:23.620 --> 00:16:28.770 Please feel free to take a look at our blog and continue to be the wonderful math teachers that I know we all are. 00:16:29.110 --> 00:16:32.340 Our passions and love for this subject will shine through 00:16:32.770 --> 00:16:37.889 all of us in front of our students and that is really the most important tool we can use. 00:16:38.500 --> 00:16:40.500 Stay safe, everyone.