Good for me but YUCK! Maths is Brussels sprouts

Good for me

but YUCK!

Maths is Brussels sprouts.

What do you do?

I’m a maths teacher.

I am hopeless at maths!

I can’t read!

Doing maths is an emotional practice.

During secondary school, many students become more negative about maths.

Many students are reluctant to take maths beyond the compulsory years.

Year 10

Year 11

5 no longer participating in academic stream

Year 12

16 no longer participating in academic stream

Year 12

YETEach student had a unique journey through

mathematics with unique learning experiences and outcomes.

BECAUSEEach student had a unique relationship with

mathematics

Similar ageSimilar backgrounds

Similar classroom communities

Relationship with mathematics

Views of maths Feelings about maths Perception of ability Mathematical knowledge Habits of engagement

Mathematics is a unique subject

• Strict rules to be learnt

• Only one answer

• Cumulative nature

• Mostly individual work

• Unchanging classroom routines

Students’ Views of Mathsschool

Mathematics is a unique subject

• Important

I know you need to know this (Sean)

Maths is just a subject I do in school to help in later life when I have a job (Saskia)

… ish

19 out of 31 students drew stereotypic nerdy males. There were only 9 boys in the class.

Mathematics is a unique subject

• Difficulty

Maths [is] harder and you have to think more than in other subjects. It’s all thinky … it’s too fancy

(Bridget)

There’s just a lot to it. There’s a lot more than other subjects (Debbie)

It’s real difficult sometimes to memorise all the different things (Angela)

Mathematics is a unique subject

• Visual nature

You sort of look over every now and then to see what they’re up to (Connor).

Mathematics is a unique subject

• Boredom

Katrina: The worst thing about the maths is the boredom. Doing textbook work, doing stuff on the whiteboard.

Alasdair: Copying down irrelevant notes

Katrina: Even copying down relevant notes is boring. The teacher comes into the room and says…right, here’s a new topic, write these notes and turn to page 37 and do 1,3,5,7.

Alasdair: [Excited] That’s the one! That’s exactly it. That hit the nail right on the head. That is maths.

Relationship with mathematics

Views of maths Feelings about maths Perception of ability Mathematical knowledge Habits of engagement

I feel happy and good about maths. It is my favourite subject (Colin)

It’s pretty much middle of the road. Don’t really care that much. It’s just there (Paul)

Maths is poos

Brussel sprouts

I would leave it on my plate

A cold, wet, windy day

A crusty old bus

A turkey (Ruth)

I hate maths! (Tracey)

The majority of students disliked mathematics.

Maths is different from other subjects because so many people don’t like it (Amanda).

Many of the students became more negative about mathematics during their journey.

The transition from primary school to secondary school was particularly difficult.

In primary school it was just enjoyable to do ... not how it is now … kind of hard … it’s just bookwork and

stuff now (Paul).

Disliking mathematics …

• Affected students’ engagement

In maths I don’t really pay attention that much compared to art and stuff because I enjoy

those subjects (Nicola)

Disliking mathematics …

• Led to students having negative feelings in each mathematical situation.

I feel bad about maths so I just look at the question and think uugh (Amanda)

Disliking mathematics …

• Affected students’ decisions to continue in mathematics and pursue career goals

I’d rather choose a different subject because I like other subjects better (Jennifer)

I used to want to do something in tourism but then I found out like it was mostly

mathematics. I thought it was like sort of helping people (Corrina)

Relationship with mathematics

Views of maths Feelings about maths Perception of ability Mathematical knowledge Habits of engagement

I’m quite good at maths (Angela)

I am like bad at [maths]. Always knew it as like my worst subject … it was sort of a belief I

guess (Corrina)

Perception of ability

TeachersFamily

DoingClassmates

Class placement

Evidence of

abilityExpectations

Feelings

Motivation to engage

11

Relationship with mathematics

Views of maths Feelings about maths Perception of ability Mathematical knowledge Habits of engagement

I know maths. I understand it (Colin)

I need definite steps of how to do a task that I learn off by heart so I can really understand it

(Robyn)

I wouldn’t even know my times tables (Ruth)

Relationship with mathematics

Views of maths Feelings about maths Perception of ability Mathematical knowledge Habits of engagement

• Habits of engagement

• Pathways of engagement

• Engagement skills

Communication, Cooperation, Utilisation of feelings

Perseverance, Intimacy, Integrity, Independence, Reflection

Relationship with mathematics

Views of maths Feelings about maths Perception of ability Mathematical knowledge Habits of engagement

Relationship with mathematics

Views of maths Feelings about maths Perception of ability Mathematical knowledge Habits of engagement

Relationship with mathematics

Context ofthe moment

Engagement in a mathematical task

Unique learning experience and outcomes

Vulnerable Students

Thriving Students

Disliked mathematics

Unconvinced of importance of mathematics

Did not feel confident in their ability

Had ineffective engagement skills

Had tenuous motivational factors

Remembered rules “off by heart”

Enjoyed mathematics

Viewed mathematics as an important life skill

Felt confident in their ability

Had effective engagement skills

Had multiple motivational factors

Understood rules and their alternatives

Teachers

Teachers influence students’

• Views of mathematics• Feelings about mathematics• Understanding of what constitutes knowledge,

learning, and teaching • Expectations and perceptions of ability

Teachers

Teachers help to construct

• The routines of the mathematics class• Social norms• Help and help-seeking norms• Seating arrangements

Vulnerable Thriving

?

1. Get to know the students well

Teachers just need to get to know us better (Robyn)

It’s not just our maths they need to get to know, it’s how we feel about our maths … Even if we like maths or not. They need to care about us and maths (Ruth)

Just talk to the students about maths and other stuff (Bridget)

Metaphor work - Draw a mathematician - Autobiography-Personal journey graph - Journal – Draw a picture

2. Reflect on the routines of the classroom

Please! Some variety! (Alasdair)

Reflect on • the structure of the lessons• the tasks assigned• the way content is introduced

3. Be explicit about the importance of engaging in mathematics

People who can't be bothered trying, are doomed to fail at maths (Katrina)

We learn maths by doing it (Ben)

Help students to recognise and act on feelings of confusion and worry when working on mathematical tasks.

Encourage students to develop effective engagement skills

4. Accept and harness students’ social needs Moira likes being social and that’s more important to her than doing her work (Mrs Brown)

Ben works well in class despite social nature (Mr Carter)

We need to be social. It’s the puberty thing. That’s where the focus of school is (Saskia)

Maths, it’s a subject where talking helps you more than when you talk in English (Ann)

Find ways students can socialise AND use each other as resources and emotional support.

Who a student sits near affects • how they feel about mathematics• their level of engagement

5. Design seating plans so that the students are not disrupted by and are comfortable with the classmates they are sitting near.

• Students have complex relationships with mathematics.

• These relationships change over time as students experience mathematics.

• Most mathematics students are vulnerable

• Teachers are an important influence on students’ relationships with mathematics.

Conclusions

1. Get to know students well.2. Reflect on the routines of the classroom.3. Be explicit about the importance of engagement.4. Accept and harness students’ social needs.5. Design seating plans.

Vulnerable Student

Thriving Student

It is heartening that we, as teachers, are able to improve students’ mathematical journeys.

It is heartening that the subject of mathematics lends itself so beautifully to this task.

Naomi IngramLecturerCollege of EducationUniversity of Otagonaomi.ingram@otago.ac.nz