Comments on: One key difference in math achievement: Jason Bourne and entity orientation

By: Carly

Carly — Sat, 18 Feb 2017 16:53:27 +0000

In reply to Roy Turrentine. Excellent post. 100% agree that over-testing is negatively impacting quality instruction. I love your comment, "You do not have to be a math genius to recognize the genius of math, and to impart that wonder to students."

By: Carly

Carly — Sat, 18 Feb 2017 16:50:11 +0000

I love teaching math and yet as a student, I was not good at math. I was fearful of teaching math until I took a continuing education class that totally changed my feelings toward math. I learned basic ideas that made so much sense that I knew I had been given the tools with which to develop a love of math for my third grade students. Every year I have students who tell me that they thought they were bad at math or hated math but now it is their favorite subject. I wish all teachers could have experienced a class with a teacher as good as what I had. After all, teachers can only teach what they’ve been taught.

All said, I have to agree with Roy Turrentine’s post. Students have differing ability levels. The current math pacing guide that I must follow does not allow for remediation periods. I work very hard to manage small groups and programs like AM to deliver individualized instruction. Too many times I feel like we are in the “I Love Lucy” chocolate scene with the students having the next new concept being shoved down their throats before having had time to digest the one that came before.

Roy’s point about high-stake testing is true. I loose 6 weeks of math instructional time because I have to test students on a one-on-one basis for reading. Yet the amount of math we must deliver in that time frame is not adjusted. Therefore, the number of new concepts they must learn gets crammed into a shorter period of time. This cycle creates students who falsely identify as “not being good at math” when all they need is more time to dig down and explore foundational concepts.

By: Jan Bryan

Jan Bryan — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 19:52:33 +0000

Thank you, Belinda, for your comment and your commitment to this student. When it comes to dyslexia, I would refer you to an educator with deep knowledge of those challenges. I hope you keep researching the connection, because what you learn will be of benefit to other educators. The strategy you developed to have the student talk through her division process is right on target. You may want to explore Karin Hess’ work in depth, and you can start with her recorded webinar on meeting new math standards. She offers actionable commentary about what teachers learn from students’ talk about math. Your most direct pathway to conquering your student’s multiplication challenge is to explore her most basic math fact fluency and automaticity. She may be struggling with multiplication facts because the addition facts are not yet fluent and automatic. A recent post from Dr. Gene Kerns offers more about power of math facts fluency and automaticity. You may also want to explore what other educators have learned about math fact fluency and automaticity here. Thank you again for your determination to accelerate learning for each and every student. All the best, Jan Bryan

By: belinda gordon

belinda gordon — Thu, 15 Oct 2015 22:56:08 +0000

I have a diverse group of 5th graders this year. One in particular is dyslexic. I don’t see the reversing of numbers at all. Her knowledge of multiplication facts is low. Could that be because of dyslexia? She tells me it is hard. I want to know more about how to help her. Your article gave me an idea. I am going to ask her to tell me the steps of division as she writes it down. Maybe talking like a math teacher may help her memory of the steps. What do you think?

By: Roy Turrentine

Roy Turrentine — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 19:20:18 +0000

I think a better way of looking at this issue is through parameters. Just as it is impossible for any basketball player to play in the NBA, it is impossible for any human to attain a very high level of mathematical prowess. I for example, loved basketball and practiced diligently, but succeeded in raising myself to a level of incompetence that would bemuse the average sports guy. Luckily, I was capable of being a bit better at math. Or was I? I came to math teaching during the early 1980s, when any capable math teacher was working for industry for a much bigger paycheck. Maybe I have just been lucky. But you do not have to be a math genius to recognize the genius of math, and to impart that wonder to students.

Still, we need to recognize that there are vast differences between ability levels in math just as there are in sports. Presently, under the idea that “everyone can learn” we are asking some children to proceed through their journey much too quickly. Modern testing and curriculum design is forcing teachers to introduce topics to students for which they are not prepared, exaggerating the self-evaluation that they are not “math people.”

Want to help out? Destroy all high-stakes tests and make tests informative rather than punitive.

By: Krista Johnson

Krista Johnson — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 13:27:14 +0000

I enjoyed reading the article about inherited vs. learned orientation in regards to math. For me, math has never been a subject I either enjoyed or exceled at, but I learned to get by with what I needed to graduate and go on to college. I do agree that a lot of one’s ability toward a given area is innate, but it does make me feel encouraged to learn that much of it too is not. I feel strongly that great and not mediocre math teachers make a huge difference along the way in school especially for students who are not more mathematically inclined. They need to know how to teach and reach those students and not just those who get the lessons and concepts the first time. Those early math experiences especially in elementary school are the foundation to a successful future in math for many kids, but secondary math teachers have to be there to encourage, teach, and build on those skills to ensure continued math growth and success.

By: Jan Bryan

Jan Bryan — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 12:29:32 +0000

In reply to Linda Gordon. Thank you for your comment and for sharing some of the research on math anxiety. This is a fascinating area, and it's encouraging that the body of research is growing. Renaissance is focusing on ways to make math accessible for each student. Teacher-to-teacher and researcher-to-researcher comments will build a powerful repository of information on ways to encourage the mathematician in each of us. I hope you continue to join in the conversation and share what you are finding in your day-to-day interactions with mathematics instruction and what you are finding in your research. All the best as you continue your graduate work. jb

By: Linda Gordon

Linda Gordon — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 21:18:24 +0000

Interestingly I just finished a paper for a graduate course I’m taking on the topic of math anxiety and personality traits. Certainly it was clear from the research that a tendency towards math anxiety is personality based. What I was not expecting to find was some evidence that at the earliest stages of math anxiety, with young students, there is not necessarily a math calculation skill gap (Krinzinger, H., Kaufmann, L., Willmes, K., 2009, Math anxiety and math ability in early primary school years). Very little work has been done with students just prior and during the development of math anxiety and resistance. Emphasizing a growth mindset and providing many opportunities for students to see themselves as capable problem solvers, without becoming derailed by error, is crucial. Identifying the beginnings of anxiety and resistance are also going to be key in stopping the cycle of poor math achievement. Loved your blog, I’ll be sharing this with both parents and teachers this year!

By: Jan Bryan

Jan Bryan — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 16:10:49 +0000

In reply to Allison Johnson. Thank you for your comment Allison. I am particularly intrigued by your description of the “patient, critical thinking required for application and abstract concepts of math.” I had yet to see “patience” described as part of entity or incremental orientation, mindset or critical thinking, but the way you’ve developed the association among fact fluency, automaticity, and critical thinking is eye-opening. I look forward to learning more about this key attribute in learning. jb

By: Allison Johnson

Allison Johnson — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 21:22:27 +0000

The ideas suggested in this article correspond well to my anecdotal observations working with math learners in the classroom. Math problem solvers and algebra learners who are not fluent in math facts expend great effort and energy on simple calculations, distracting them from the patient, critical thinking required for application and abstract concepts of math. Math learners become more capable when their math coaches believe they can.