President's Message - March 2013

Attitude is Everything!

CATHY HALL

cathy.hall@oame.on.ca

I was recently lucky enough to visit a classroom where math enthusiasm and excitement literally jumped off the walls... and I'm not referring only to the amazing, interactive Math Word Wall that was being generated and curated by the students themselves. That in itself was impressive, since most Word Walls, if they even exist, are the bailiwick of the teacher. However, the teacher in this case had encouraged his students to make the Math Wall their own, to unlock new math vocabulary and concepts in a very real and authentic way for themselves and their peers. As inconsequential as this may seem on the surface, I learned that it was one of the main contributing factors in a turnaround in his students' attitude and success in math. As I talked with the students and observed interactions within their groups, I was struck by how comfortable they seemed to feel as they discussed new concepts and explored possible problem-solving avenues and strategies.

I neglected to mention that this teacher had some inspirational "wall words" of his own, posted prominently for all to see and, hopefully, internalize. My gaze immediately landed on a brightly coloured banner lettered in a funky script. It read, "ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING!" I'm a sucker for motivational messages - and this one definitely struck a chord with me. I firmly agree with Judy Willis's premise in Learning to Love Math (2010) that "The first step to success in math is a positive attitude... When you help your students build a positive attitude toward math, they become engaged in the material and motivated to excel in mathematics because they value it." She then goes on to show how this can result in a "supportive math community," where students feel comfortable getting involved, taking risks, setting goals, and fully investing themselves in their learning.

My favourite inspirational catch phrase, both in my own classroom and in facilitating PD workshops, has always been "MAKE IT HAPPEN!" I like to think of it as a softer, friendlier version of the slogan made famous by Nike: "Just do it!" However, the underlying message is the same - that readiness to learn and the effort to carry through must come from within the individual.

In an ideal world, this positive attitude would permeate the teaching and learning experience in each of our classrooms. However, the reality is that too often the daily stressors and inherent math anxiety, when it comes to math itself, get in the way. I was struck recently by the following passage in an autobiography I was reading. Although it referred to a music classroom, I could easily visualize a similar scenario being played out in a math class, or any other curriculum discipline for that matter.

"In Mr. Wainwright's music room, I discovered that I was petrified of standing up in front of the class and singing. It wasn't shyness so much as a fear of being singled out and made to look ridiculous... It was for this reason that I discovered the Fake Sick Trick." *

It's hard to believe that the anxious, performancephobe being referred to here was Rod Stewart, the music icon who went on have an amazing music career, selling more than 200 million records! He has also been twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is a Grammy Living Legend, and has played the world's biggest concert. Still and all, it took him many years to adopt a more positive attitude toward his "strange, raspy voice" and build up his confidence after the negative experience of those early days in music class.

All of this set me to thinking about how our students feel as they enter our math classrooms. What type of atmosphere greets them as they come through the door? I remembered having come across a student's perspective on this very question and hunted down the passage in the book Classroom Instruction That Works. I'd like to share a bit of it with you:

These students have said it much better than I can. They've painted a vivid picture of two very different classroom approaches and performance expectations... and their very real effects on students. One teacher created a rich classroom atmosphere, where creative problem solving and risk taking are encouraged. A key element in this type of environment is the understanding that individual student achievement levels are not predetermined by their past performance. When students are given this vote of confidence and the chance to prove themselves, the results can be quite dramatic. Not only do they begin to invest themselves more fully in their learning, but they also start to actually believe that they can be successful in math! And, once that momentum is set in place, the stage is well and truly set for learning on a grand scale!

As I told you earlier, one of my favourite mantras with teachers and students alike is 'Make it happen!' You might think that this is a tough call for the math-phobes out there, but I don't agree. The tools are all in place; we just have to use them. One of the most powerful tools is the curriculum itself. All the PD in the world will not, and cannot, make a difference when it comes to effective curriculum delivery and student success if teachers are not familiar with the curriculum expectations themselves. Once again, attitude is everything. If you view your math curriculum as a never-ending checklist of expectations that you 'can't possibly cover' within the school year, then you're probably feeling just like those students who are so overwhelmed—or bored—that they can be found with their heads on their desks. Instead, try to find the bits and pieces within that curriculum that excite you… and then take a minute to analyze why that is. Chances are that the same real-world connections or just plain weird math that you discover will be the key to unlocking a more positive attitude among your students. Then give yourself permission to run with that excitement and let your students do likewise. I never cease to marvel at the wild and wonderful learning that can result from the excitement generated by powerful, and often unexpected, paths in math. Some of the detours that I've seen work amazingly well are storytelling about famous mathematicians (e.g., Gauss, Fibonacci, Pascal), hands-on construction projects showing the usefulness of the Pythagorean Theorem, read-alouds of books linked to math concepts (e.g., Ten black Dots, Chasing Vermeer, The Number Devil), linkages to the arts (e.g., M.C. Escher, the Golden Ratio), puzzles (e.g., Tower of Hanoi) and game playing (e.g., the game of Sprouts). No matter which direction you choose to take, there can be amazing 'Aha!' moments for your students along the way as they make connections to their prior math knowledge.

Of course, we all know that similar 'Aha!' moments can occur in our regular lessons as well. However, they do not magically materialize without employing a few helpful tips and strategies to help things along. One of the biggest mistakes we make as teachers is keeping our lesson goals and intended outcomes a secret from students. Instead, how about using explicit cues to alert students to what they are about to encounter in the lesson? It should go without saying that we need to take the time to identify and discuss what our students already know about the topic or problem at hand. However, with time pressures and tight course outlines, we sometimes skip this critical step in the process… and we shouldn't. If we take the attitude that we don't have time to help students access their prior knowledge through the use of inferential questions or advance organizers, then we need to reset our thinking. Students' prior knowledge must be brought to the forefront in order to set the stage and allow them to engage with new information being presented or investigated.

A word of caution, however. As recent research shows, teachers have been found to ask an inordinate number of questions during class, sometimes as many as 120 questions per hour! Unfortunately, 70 to 95 of those questions are lower-order, rote-memory questions. Even more alarming is the finding that the wait time between asking the question and eliciting a response is generally less than two seconds! Consequently, students experiencing math anxiety can be seen to exhibit a number of blocking/coping strategies when confronted with this rapid-fire questioning, e.g., averting their gaze, adopting a pondering countenance while maintaining complete silence, waiting patiently until the teacher moves on to another student or actually gives in and answers the question, or even escaping to the washroom to avoid being put on the spot. Remember that 'Fake Sick Trick' that Rod Stewart felt he had to employ? Well, he's not alone! I have a sneaking suspicion that if we asked our students how many of them have felt the need to use one or more of these coping strategies on a regular basis, we would get a much-needed insight into how our attitudes and teaching strategies are affecting many of our students. If, like me, you firmly believe that our intentions are the best and that we truly care about providing a nurturing learning environment for our students, don't be afraid to take a step back on a regular basis and view your math class through a different lens. Despite the untold stresses and pressures inherent in our profession, you can 'make it happen' by ensuring that your classroom is one where 'attitude is everything'!

References

• Dean, C.B., Hubbell, E.R., Pitler, H., & Stone, Bj. (2012). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
• Doctorow, R. (2002). Mathematics education: A summary of research, theories, and practice. Toronto: Thomson Nelson.
• Willis, J. (2010). Learning to love math. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Previous Message:
Mathematicians Stand on Each Other's Shoulders

Next Message:
Final Bonus Message

Index of Messages