I agree with you Ryan that the why is important.  In high school,  I had a very nice advance math  teacher who was an ex-navy  man.  While reading a Tom Clancy novel which involved submarine's  it suddenly dawned upon me why he might have become a math teacher...
  
  Math might have been more meaningful to me if he'd talked with us a bit  about his career and how math got him(his ship) out of some tough  situations...
  
  I teach at universty level, but I think this is useful in any  setting...During the first day of class, I talk about why I interested  in the particular topic I'm teaching.  Then I ask them to tell me  why they are taking this particular class.  Whenever I move into a  new topic, I try to remember to tell the class how they will use this  information.  Prior to ending the class I suggest how they might  practice using the new information.
  
  Bertie
  
  

Ryan Hall <ryanryanc at yahoo.com> wrote:   
That "why" Judy writes about is, I believe, essential information that is
often missing from instruction in all areas, not just math. Teaching
anything in an unconnected, abstract manner only creates a new list of
useless facts that students try to memorize for a test they have to pass in
order to be able to take the next test of useless facts. It sounds very
pessimistic, I know, but teachers create this attitude when they forget to
make sure students understand the "why" behind the abstract principles they
are teaching. What creates academic anxiety of any kind is the student's
inability to learn what is being taught the way it is being taught in the
short amount of time it is being taught. Not knowing the "why" only adds
frustration to the already overly anxious student who, at some point,
decides to quit caring at all in hopes that s/he will never have to deal
with the subject matter again. For me, it's definitely math, and the only
reason is because no teacher would (could?) ever tell me why I needed to
know it outside the classroom- having no real-life application for this
information left me without motivation to continue trying, so I didn't.

Writing, too, is often challenging for many people and causes some extreme
anxiety. Some people stress over the grammar and punctuation aspects, while
others stress over making their point in a clear and concise manner. What
many students fail to realize, mainly because instructors forget to help
them make this connection, is that the grammar and punctuation help make
meaning. Unless writing instruction focuses on both form and function,
students will continue to make errors in their writing that they do not make
when they complete grammar exercises that focus on form alone. Students need
to see how all the grammar stuff fits into their style of communicating so
they will be able to communicate effectively (and confidently!) in writing.
After all, isn't written communication the "why" of learning all that
grammar and punctuation stuff anyway?

Judy, I don't know much about the relationship between literacy and the
content in a typical English class in the US because I only get to see the
products of those classes. Based on what I see in students' writing, though,
I will say that there is much need for more explanation of the "why" in
them. 

So, my question is how do teachers (of any subject and any level) on this
list explain the "why" to your students? Do you wait until they ask, or is
it something you build your lesson plan on? What types of activities do you
use to make the "why" more visible for those students who don't get it the
first, second, or even third time?

Ryan




On 6/22/06 9:23 PM, "Judy Ward"  wrote:


> Math anxiety is an emotional response to math based on negative or

> unpleasant past experiences. It can also come from not understanding one

> basic concept like fractions. When I began using manipulatives with 7th

> graders, the importance of "why" became obvious to me. The same "why" is

> just as important to adults, both teachers and students. Also, most adult

> students are visual and hands on learners, especially in mathematics. Math

> was difficult for them in school because it was taught in an abstract manner

> - usually the way the teacher learned. As you know more of the same doesn't

> work. 

> 

> My suggestion: You know what concept(s) is a stumbling block for you. Take a

> friend and go to the math section of a school supply store. You should see

> Cuisinare Rods (fractions), color cubes (blocks for teaching/learning

> multiplication, area, perimeter, etc), base ten blocks (place value,

> decimals, percents), Alge Blocks (solving equations) just to name a few. Ask

> for a book that will go with the manipulative of your choice, go home to

> your kitchen table, work with it and learn. It's better to work with a small

> group but if that isn't an option work alone.

> 

> I have used all the manipulatives listed with both adults and children. They

> work! I can't tell you how many tears of joy have been shed during one of my

> workshops because an adult educator (ABE/GED/ESOL/Literacy/Workplace)

> understood and could "see" the why for the first time. When you feel

> confident take the manipulative to your students. Let them "see" the why.

> 

> Comments?

> 

> Judy

> 

>  

> 

> -----Original Message-----

> From: womenliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:womenliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov]

> On Behalf Of Daphne Greenberg

> Sent: Thursday, June 22, 2006 10:13 AM

> To: womenliteracy at nifl.gov

> Subject: [WomenLiteracy 351] Re: math anxiety

> 

> Thank you Judy for sharing your anxiety about writing. I think that this is

> a great ice breaker for a lot of us who have anxiety doing math, thinking

> about explaining something in math, or even writing on this listserv about

> math. I have two wonders:

> 1. Do others on this listserv share my anxiety about anything related to

> math?

> 2. Judy, or others, what do you recommend for teachers who have math anxiety

> who are teaching students who have math anxiety?

> Thanks,

> Daphne

> 

>>>> j.e.ward at cox.net 6/21/2006 12:27 PM >>>

> Greetings to everyone,

> 

> Since this is a women and literacy list serve I assume that all have a deep

> concern and interest in advancing women through a literacy perspective.

> Also, I assume that you all love reading and writing and would like to help

> others feel the same way.

> 

> To get the numeracy and math anxiety discussion going I would like to begin

> from a different direction. I would like to tell you a little about my

> "anxiety" with English class during my k-12 years. Although I never made bad

> grades, English class was a challenge for me. Remembering all the sentence

> structure rules was overwhelming and didn't make sense. Diagramming a

> sentence, as well as the other 10 or so that were assigned, was a painful

> task. The process didn't make sense to me and I wasn't able to carry the

> exercise over to writing.

> 

> Writing was and still is another challenge and most of the time almost a

> painful experience for me. You could say that my anxiety about putting words

> on paper is a stumbling block and I have to work extremely hard just to get

> started. There are times when I must write something important, like now,

> that my stomach gets knots in it, my mind goes blank and I have to write and

> rewrite over and over. Just before I send this email my anxiety level will

> increase drastically because someone will read this and find mistakes or

> think the writing is terrible. Where does this anxiety come from? Probably

> past experiences with teachers that loved and knew their subject but didn't

> teach the way I learn. We know a lot more now about how learning takes place

> than in my k-12 years.

> 

> Now, for today's discussion question: Is there a relationship between

> literacy and the content in a typical English class in the US?

> 

> I look forward to the discussion.

> 

> Judy Ward

>  

> 

> 

> Judy Ward, Ed.D.

> 6886 Young Farm Avenue

> Springdale, AR 72762

> Phone: 479.361.2223

> Fax: 479.361.2223

> Email: j.e.ward at cox.net

> 

> Arkansas Adult Numeracy Campaign

> Teaching Mathematics Effectively to Adult Learners

>  

> 

> 

> 

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