Mistakes Make Math Meaningful!
10:00:00
I had always thought that one of the most important things in math was that "Ah-ha!" moment. The moment when everything clicked in a math class and you were suddenly able to grasp a concept and solve many of the related problems. To me that solid understanding was the important part of mathematics learning.
Newsflash: I couldn't have been more wrong!
Our focus this week taught me the exact opposite. One of the most important and beneficial parts of mathematics learning is actually making mistakes. I know, seems strange at first right? Why would you want to actually make mistakes while learning? What effect can that possibly have besides frustration? Well stay with me here because it turns out.. making mistakes in math is actually proven to make you smarter!
According to research, when we make a mistake in math, our brains are forced to work harder than they would if we had gotten the answer correct. By working harder, our brain becomes stronger than it was before. So making mistakes in math, working through those mistakes and not giving up, makes your brain stronger, and makes you smarter.
This knowledge is very inspirational to me, it solidifies my belief in a growth mindset. Although you may not understand something yet, not only will you get it eventually with hard work, but this adversity and hard work will actually benefit you in the end.
"Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration"
Another large focus of mine this week was mine and Michael's webinar presentation. Being the very first webinar of the class and also being the first webinar I've ever presented in my entire life.. you could say I was a teensy bit nervous.
However I was pleasantly surprised with the entire process! We chose a topic that I truly believe is both relevant and beneficial to my fellow teacher candidates and our webinar flowed very nicely. We discussed Cathy Fosnot's strings model for mental math instruction. We practiced our own math string with our webinar participants and it was pretty successful for everyone who participated. Check out the video below for yourself!
That's all for this week!
Leave a comment by scrolling all the way down to the bottom! Let me know if you have any questions about Cathy Fosnot, Math Strings, or making mistakes in math.
3 comments
Hi Paula!
ReplyDeleteI love your blog post, I too thought the "ah-ha" moment was the most important part of math class. I also enjoyed your webinar, being your first, it was very well done!
Awesome job :)
-Nicolina
Hello Paula, great reflection! It really is important to let our students know that their mistakes aren't the end of their learning. I always really like the concept of failing forward or fail faster. The mistakes you make help you learn more and progress so go for it and make mistakes. I also really enjoyed working on and presenting that webinar, I think we did a great job!
ReplyDeleteYou summed up what I always thought was an indication of learning, in the "Aha" moment when everything clicks. But what we don't talk about enough in math class is the process to get to that moment, and all the mistakes we make in our journey to completing the puzzle. Sometimes we have to try out a piece before we can discover it doesn't quite fit, and find the right piece. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and fantastic job on your webinar!
ReplyDeleteLeave a comment and let me know what you think!