This is something that has bugged me since high school. Why don't students care to understand the math they are learning? Nearly all my friends in high school only cared about getting a math formula, plugging in numbers, and hoping for a right answer. They didn't want to know anything beyond that. They only wanted to do the bare minimum and pass the course and move on.
As I am someone who likes to know why things are the way they are. I want to know WHY students like this don't ask WHY in math class! It can't possible be just because they don't like math can it? I didn't like biology class but I still asked my teacher "why" whenever I was confused. Do you think this mentality os math-specific? Don't they realize that without knowing "why" they will only ever be able to get through the basics? Don't they realize if they don't truly understand, they won't be able to problem solve and apply their knowledge to more complicated questions and even real-world situations?
How can teachers combat this kind of mentality in math class?
The word WHY is a very powerful word. Why? Why do we use that formula. The other day, I was helping my sister understand Parabolas and she asked me "Why do we have to find the zero's?". I showed her why. I told her that once we find the zeros (by factoring out our quadratic equation), we can draw out the parabola. She understood the concept clearly. Students need to understand why things are done. They're not just a bunch of random formulas and numbers. They have a purpose and it is our jobs as teachers to explain WHY.
ReplyDeleteThe word WHY is a very powerful word. Why? Why do we use that formula. The other day, I was helping my sister understand Parabolas and she asked me "Why do we have to find the zero's?". I showed her why. I told her that once we find the zeros (by factoring out our quadratic equation), we can draw out the parabola. She understood the concept clearly. Students need to understand why things are done. They're not just a bunch of random formulas and numbers. They have a purpose and it is our jobs as teachers to explain WHY.
ReplyDelete