S.T.E.M. Learning Resources – Math

Math from the early grades is learned by rote.  Students must memorize certain things.  This is often done with practice, followed by more practice of the same thing.  It can become quite a drudgery.  Once this happens interest is difficult to maintain.

This can be avoided with fun items that allow the student to practice without realizing it.  If the study becomes a fun activity it will accomplish the same thing as a boring approach.  The student will be learning willingly.  The good news is such resources do exist.

The key is to make things interesting, and the students will become engaged in the learning process.  Also, once success is obtained it begets a positive attitude, which in turn begets success.  It is critical that not only must the S.T.E.M. subjects be interesting, the presentation must be in a way that allows the student to believe success is possible.

Select activities not just matched to a grade level, but to the student’s ability and interest.  Selecting too low of a level will be boring.  If the student must hone rudimentary skills do not make an issue of this.  Never say to a fourth-grade student that the material is second grade level, but it is needed.  This undermines confidence.  Just introduce the activity.

Some students will want to advance.  Make the advancement gradual.  Frustration could be the result if a second grader were to be handed a calculus activity.  On the other hand, if the student has a penchant for geometry providing such an activity is worthwhile provided it is basic enough for where the student feels comfortable. 

Try different activities and adjust the chosen activities until the right level is found.

Study aids come in a variety of forms.  Some are drill and practice.  This might be appropriate for a new topic, or to fine tune a developing skill.  It can be overdone, so watch for the boredom look or action. 

Study aids can stimulate thought.  Math games and puzzles are good for stimulation.  They allow the student to use cognitive skills in solving problems.  This also can serve to give a purpose to the skills being drilled in a school setting.  Allow the student to think, making use of the skills beyond those used in just solving another similar practice problem.

Math games and puzzles can be video games, books, or involve boards and pieces. 

Some students need to see, or even handle physical, pieces of the problem.  There are items one can use to demonstrate such things as fractions, and then allow the student to practice.  For some learners this is the needed approach.

Select the approach that is appropriate for the student.  This might take some trial and effort.

Study aids can be used to teach a topic.  The same materials can often be used by the student after the demonstration is finished.  In a classroom with many students this could be costly, but in the case of an individual being taught it is more plausible.

Another thing one can do to get multiple use out of an activity is select activities with reading comprehension skills needed.  This can help with a skill in an unrelated subject area.

Rote learning works best for the early skills.  One problem one can have in learning math is developing from rote learning into an active thinker.  It is easy to fall into the trap that rote learning is the only form of learning, and memorization is the only form of study.  As a college professor I have seen people want to memorize a technique for college problems.  Rote learning should be ending as a student moves from the early grades into the middle school grades, and the transition should be complete by the high school grades.  The problem is that if a school system is weak, as the one feeding the students into the college at which I teach are, the students may not have transitioned. 

For the first few grades drill and practice can be useful, but remember math games are more fun, and will help the student more.

In middle school there should be a move in the direction of developing cognitive skills.  This is a time for some success with memorizing methods, while adding thought provocative problems.  It is a time to get into a thought process for the future. 

In the last grades, high school, the transition should be nearing completion. 

Without confidence, the study of any S.T.E.M. subject if difficult.  Confidence is the way to success.  But, how is that confidence achieved?  Well, it is best achieved by success.  While the items use can help greatly with achieving that result, it is wise to also include a book or two on success with math in your approach.

One thing that is important to remember, the same approach that works well for one might be wrong for another.  People are different, they and learn differently.

Unless you use a school, or homeschool, that can work at the right pace and approach for the student, it may be a problem.  Schools must educate all of the students in the class.  The slower students at grasping a topic might need more drill and practice.  The question of whether that is best for all is important.  Will too much drill and practice sour a good student who perceives this as a waste of time?  So, simply relying on a school even for a good student is not the best approach.  Instead, find ways of keeping the interest at a high level. 

One way of instilling interest in math is with a branch of math that is more conceptual that calculation.  Tessellations, or tiling, is a good place to look.  This is where math merges with art. 

Finally, the issue of calculator usage always comes up.  How much is too much?  How much is too little?  We must find the right approach.  This is covered in the video below.

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