To me, math has always been a right or wrong type of subject. When presented with a mathematical equation, it's pretty much understood that there is only one answer that is considered to be correct and all other answers would be mistakes.

Last week we learned that it is ok to make mistakes because that helps our brains grow. We've discussed having growth mindsets when it comes to math learning. But what if I told you that math didn't always have to have one right answer?

This week we explored different ways of looking at math as a subject in general.

Can math be open for discussion? 

Can math have different interpretations? 

Can math be .. CREATIVE? 

You might be thinking that this sounds a little too good to be true, math has one right answer and that's that. But in this blog post I will be discussing some of the ways we learned that math can in fact be open ended and inspire creative thinking.

One of the most simple ways to make math learning more creative and open ended is to stop concentrating on the answer, and to start discussing the process. We saw a great example of this in one of our videos this week.

What is 18 x 5 ? 

This question seems pretty bland at first doesn't it? We know the answer to be 90. However, if we ask people HOW they got to 90, we start to hear some more interesting results. Lots of people broke down the problem in multiple different ways, each of them arriving at the same response. Who's to say that one way is better than another way? By discussing HOW we got to an answer, students can begin to see different perspectives on a problem and they can even begin to understand that mathematics behind it better by knowing more than one route to the answer.

Imagine you are driving to a friend's house and you only know one way to get there. What happens if you attempt to drive there and there's suddenly a road block in your way? You've never taken a different route to your friends house because this way always worked, what would you do? If only you knew multiple routes to the same place so you would always have a back up.

Discussing mathematical thinking can do the same thing. Students may have memorized a certain method for multiplication but if they get stuck trying to use that one way, they may give up on the problem entirely. But if they have gained multiple perspectives on approaching problems, they will be more likely to think creatively about the problem to figure it out in a new way.

We also looked at another way to make math creative and open ended in class this week. We looked at the website Which One Doesn't Belong. This website is great as a minds on activities for students because it can be opened up for discussion. Students are encouraged to think creatively about which item does not belong and why they think that. Each set of pictures can have more than one answer so students are able to discuss, debate, and answer freely.

"Shape 2" Which One Doesn't Belong. Retrieved From: wodb.ca

"Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration" 

Another week of math and it is no secret that a large number of students have a negative math attitude.... mathtitude? This week we took a hard look at negativity towards math and our different learning mindsets. 

@Doug88888 (2013, March 22). Elephant (Photograph).

For teachers, negative feelings and beliefs are visible right when the students walk in the door. It's like a giant elephant in the room. But where do these attitudes come from? Many students may hear their parents talking negatively about math, they might have done poorly in past math classes, or maybe they haven't had very engaging math instruction so far. Whatever the reasons may be, it seems that bad mathtitudes are extremely common, and those anxieties and feelings towards math not only disrupt learning, but can also stick with the students throughout their lives. 

This week's online lessons were largely focused on our math mindsets and the way our words and our comments can impact both our mindsets but also the mindsets of those around us. 

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words... can never hurt me can have a hugely negative and long lasting impact"


The videos we watched reminded us how important having a growth mindset is in order to be successful in the classroom. Not only do we need to foster a growth mindset in our students, we need to practice having growth mindsets of our own. 


As current and future educators, we understand how much of an impact a students mindset has on their learning, but the students themselves aren't always necessarily aware of that. Research has shown that students mindsets and attitudes towards learning can have a greater impact on success than innate ability. According to our videos this week, research has also shown that negative comments about a subject from outside sources can reduce student performance dramatically. Parents saying things like "Don't worry, I was bad at math growing up so it's ok" can affect that student's ability to perform well in math. These phrases seem harmless at first glance, but the negativity that surrounds it can have lasting and drastic impacts on student learning.

If negativity towards math can have such a strong impact on students, can positivity do the opposite? One of the videos highlighted the difference in motivation when students were given different sets of feedback. When students were praised with "Wow you're so smart!" they were more likely to want to do easier math problems to avoid making mistakes. This gave them more of a fixed mindset. However, when students were praised with "Wow you worked really hard on that problem!" they were more likely to choose a challenging problem in order to push themselves to do even better, this gave them more of a growth mindset.

I believe it is essential for students to understand the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset and for them to understand how beneficial having a growth mindset can be. A student with a fixed mindset will assume that you are either good at math or you aren't, and there is no changing that. They will believe that if they struggle with math now, they're always going to struggle with math, so what's the point? A student with a growth mindset will be able to see their struggles differently. They will understand that they just don't quite know how to do it yet. They believe that intelligence is something that can be learned and practiced and that with enough effort, anyone can be good at math.

Now which do you think will be the better math learner by the end of the class?

You have only failed when you have given up. Until then, it's learning.

Verges, Xavier. (2011, June 24). Grow your people Growth-mindset vs fixed-mindset (Image).

Gamify Public Speaking

1.   Writing for a public audience.

2.   Pride in their writing.

3.   Blogging promotes interaction.

4.   More room for creativity.

Originally published on Huffington Post.

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