Beyond Stereotypes

Welcome to my Math Blog!

There has been a lot of valuable information that was shared this past week in math class to demonstrate to future J/I division educators the importance of mindset. It started with an in class activity where the instructor showed us a card trick and really impressed us all. Then we were given the task to figure out the trick in groups of four. All the teacher candidates were focused and motivated to figure out the card trick. In our group, we were able to solve the trick by working through the problem backwards. There were two things learned through this demonstration; one is that children are naturally inquisitive, and if you pique their curiosity enough they will be engaged in the learning process. This requires teachers to know their students in order to create lesson plans that engage learners of all abilities.  The second was by collaborating in a group, we were able to figure the trick out. We helped each other out when figuring out the trick. It was nice to have a supportive group to sound out possible solutions and then figure out the problem through trial and error. This shows the power of collaboration and also teaches students how work together as a team to solve the problem.

The second half of the week was spent exploring various videos of breaking different stereotypes and how important it is to teach students to have an open mindset towards math. Being aware of such stereotypes as, “girls are not good in math,” helps educators become mindful and not fall prey to these stereotypes. In fact teachers can help break these stereotypes by creating activities that clear any misconceptions about math and steer students in the right direction. As future educators we set the tone in our classrooms, and it must be one that nurtures a positive attitude towards any obstacles the students face in class.  As Jo Boaler mentioned, our brains are like a muscle, the more we practice the more it grows!

The following video explores the idea of a growth mindset and may be useful in the junior division. The video can be used  as a strategy to teach students and to help them conceptualize the growth mindset.   Class Dojo has made a series of animated videos to help students understand the concept of the growth mindset. This can also help start the conversation, if certain students feel uncomfortable talking about their feelings and attitudes towards certain subjects such as math.  Another resource to introduce students to the idea of growth mindset is through storybooks such as, “Giraffes Can’t Dance”. It introduces to students the Power of Yet, teaching them that if they are having difficulty in something they may not understand it…. Yet! However by persisting, they will eventually get to the solution, and this works by training the brain to think positively.  This kind of attitude helps students look at things with a clear, open mind that will help ease their anxiety towards math.

(Retrieved from YouTube)

Thanks for reading,

-         Nuha