Mrs. Boyer’s 7th Grade Weblog

I’ve encountered several of these myths throughout the years.  The one that stands out the most is “Math requires a good memory, and memorizing formulas and rules is the best way to learn it.”  My high school geometry teacher made us memorize everything!  While my friends in the other section got to have a cheat sheet for tests, my section had to memorize all of the theorems and postulates!   I don’t think any of us understood them any better because we had memorized them.  Many people failed her tests because they hadn’t memorized them even though they probably could have USED them correctly to complete the proofs if they were given a list.  This experience has definitely had an impact on how I teach.  There are some formulas that students should KNOW because they are so common, but a student should never have to sit and memorize a formula because they might need it on a test.  I always supply students with a formula sheet or individual formulas as needed.  Even for the PSSA, students are given a formula sheet and not expected to memorize everything!  I think (hope) my general attitude towards this is apparent to students and will help dispel this myth.

The other myth that hits home with me is “There is a math mind – some people have it and some don’t.”  I think many people to this day believe this myth.  I know my friends thought this in school, many students still do today, and most parents believe it.  I even hear teachers saying it.  This is one of the myths that most effects girls, because “girls don’t have the math mind.”    For me, some of the most logical concrete thinkers are the ones who struggle most with math when it really counts, because they can’t problem solve.  I always tell my kids that someday a potential employer won’t care that you can solve a page filled with equations if when it comes to writing and applying an equation she has to give you the equation before you can solve it.  If she has to give you the equation, she might as well solve it herself!  Some of my students who are the most creative are the best problem solvers in math even though they are stereotypically thought of as “non-math people.”  I think I was fooled by this myth when I was younger because I had many friends who despised math.  However, being a teacher has really helped me to see otherwise.  I think that I help my students avoid this myth be encouraging problem solving and applications of skills instead of rote memory.  I can further help by encouraging and praising all students, including girls!