Math and Learning Styles
I teach a college algebra course and often find myself doing a mini-lesson (lecture/explanation of content) followed by giving students work time to practice. I've taught math other ways (with activities that allow more discover or different learning styles), but have settled on this pattern mostly out of the need to cover a large amount of material in a small amount of time.
Does anyone have any ideas for ways of teaching math incorporating more learning styles?
Hi Don- Thanks for your post to the forum. Does your school have a Math placement assessment prior to taking Math classes? Do you have any remedial Math classes for un-prepared students?
Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I find that 50%+ of my Algebra & Discrete math students do not come into the class with sufficient arithmetic skills. It doesn't matter much as to their preferred learning styles if they can't do fractions, percentage problems, or their multiplication & addition facts. On top of that lack of basic skills, I am required to administer a course assessment test at the end of the course that covers most of the material in the text. It is nothing but an impossible lose-lose situation: ill-prepared students and an overwhelming curriculum with assessment. The entrance requirements for those courses are just not sufficiently stringent. I wish teaching Gen Ed math at this university were only as difficult as developing delivery of math based on Learning Styles.
I love this idea. I have more trouble teaching the math portions of my personal training program to my students than anything else. The majority of the math problems are based on percentages. Math has always come easier to me, so I can get frustrated when students don’t understand. I’m going to try the shopping example for sure.
Hi Amy - Terrific- congrats on getting the light bulb to turn on! Best wishes-Susan
Hi Amy - Thanks for your post to the forum. Creative teachers like you probably feel the most frustrated by time constraints in your classroom - there is so much more you want to explore! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I, too, try very hard to stick tight to course objectives and my creativity is stunted in the classroom by the fact that I never have enough time to cover all of the materials that I need to! But I think it is all about finding the right balance and laying the necessary groundwork so that they know enough to build their knowledge successfully at their own pace through their homework.
Also, I have found that explaining why what they are learning is important helps get rid of some of the complaints. With math it can be tricky...why does a massage therapist need to multiply polynomials? But my classic fall back answer for math is "it teaches you new ways of thinking...and who can't use that?"
But for the more obvious ties...dosage for medical students, formulas for IT people, etc....I don't think they make the leap on their own. I point out the value.
I also struck gold with a shopping/money example. One student just could not get positive and negative numbers until I asked her what would happen if she wrote a $15 check and she only had $11 in the bank? She answered immediately "I'd be overdrawn by $4." and then looked shocked at her own answer! She never had a problem after that. It just clicked. That was a beautiful thing...
I have a different take on math. I think all of the objectives should be covered. I am of the opinion that their degree should be worth something and to water down the curriculum and skip concepts is not something I am yet comfortable with. This whole learning style thing has got me thinking on the students in my math classes. They complain a lot about the work itself instead of just getting to it and getting it done. I am starting to have a pretty good idea of the cross section of learning styles that I teach and unfortunately the vocal ones are providing negative feedback because it is a challenge. The main comment/question, how to deliver a good dose of tough love and get them working and not complaining....I honestly don't think a teacher can be all things to all students learning styles.
Hi Kathleen- Very clever! Bet that exercise really appeals to your kinesthetic students. Best wishes- Susan
I also have students who do not handle large amounts of material well. I concentrate on the basic concepts and do not add in any frills.
I like card games suggested here. I use something I call "Walk the Line" where each student is assigned a number between -8 and 8 and they make a stylized 81/2 by 11 number for it. We then lay these on the floor in the front of the room to create a number line. Students then take turns "walking out" problems such as -7 + 9. They start at zero and move 7 steps into the negatives and then change direction and move 9 steps in the other direction and end up at 2 which is the sum.
I agree Gail. Some students have been out of school for such a long time now that it is hard for them to relate math to the real world. It is most easiest to give students real life problems that they can relate to...like shopping!
Yes I agree. But being that most are female, i relate it to shopping.. to get them to grasp the basic premise of 25%- if it was a 25 % off sale, how do they figure it out the price of the item, etc... most of them can do it that way...then they've got the basics and we go from there... now i am not a shopper but it does seem to work. to them a % number is such a foreign concept.
In our program (Veterinary Technology) students have to pass several math tests with 100% correct. It is quite a challenge reaching thru to some of them. Things as basic a percentage problems are stumbling blocks for some.
Hi Pamela - As a Math-a-Phobe from way back - I really apprreciated your great ideas!
Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career and happy New Year! Susan Thanks for your post to the forum.
I have adopted the same delivery strategy. It varies by class, but I have found that in the vocational environment, many students simply are not fond of math. As a result, it works best to give small bits of information, then have them practice. I have stopped worrying about whether or not I get all objectives covered, as sometimes this is not even possible.
I have added card games to some of my classes. If you have a regular deck of cards, then you can get creative. One game for fractions is to deal out two cards to each student, the smaller card is the numerator, the larger card, the denominator, then they compare their cards to see whose number is actually bigger. This requires them to find common demoninators, etc..
Another really challenging game is one I do to teach calculating with positive and negative numbers. Deal 3 or 4 cards, and then choose a number, any number, and the first student that can find a combination using addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, and arrive at that number wins. It can fun but quite difficult.. Usually I make the red suits negative to add another level..
