Most students who said “I can’t do maths’ when I was teaching, didn’t do maths. They talked, penned a tattoo on their arm. Or scribbled in the text book. Today they read texts or play games on their phones under table or fall asleep.
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The Solution:
There is no point arguing. Students must ‘see’ they can do maths.
Do something that grabs their attention, something counterintuitive. Here is one of the BEST revision projects ever for middle school maths students. Remember, the best way to learn something is to teach it.
NB: This post has been updated twice. Disraeli said that if you want to become acquainted with a subject, write about it!!!! Mathspig’s head nearly exploded writing about this subject. But I’ve got it down to its simplest form now. One that Mathspig finally understands.
The Complaint: Maths is really SCARY!…………….
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The Cause:
Some students think maths is always right or wrong and they are scared of making mistakes.
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The Solution:
Tackle problems that can’t be solved even by a computer. Students can only guess the answer and then test it. Anyone can make a guess. Work in groups. Every member of the group can contribute as students explore this maths.
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The Challenge:……………………………………………………….
Can you crack a security encryption code?….…………………………………………………..
Mathspig thanks Prof Kate Smith-Miles, Prof of Applied Maths, Monash University for the information about Keychains. Kate has used KEYCHAIN exercises with primary school students. They really enjoyed going home and showing their parents how to find a Keychain on the computer.
Students doing repetitive text book exercises without using maths to solve REAL WORLD problems.
The Solution:
You are going to use this maths NOW…………………..
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How much blood can YOU lose and survive?
………….METRIC UNITS
Remember the best calculator to use is the WEB 2.0 Calculator as it shows the worked equation as you go.
CAREERS: It’s not only health workers who need to understand these calculations, but also creatives running health campaigns online, on TV, radio and in magazines.
TOPICS: Decimals, %, algebra, vol, weight units (METRIC)
