Engaging Middle School Students in Math

In a recent article published by MindShift, journalist Annie Murphy Paul questioned, “What is it about middle school and mathematics?” Indeed, research shows that it is during the middle school years that students begin to lose interest in math.  This disengagement often persists, which puts these students at a disadvantage in later schooling and even in their future careers.

Researchers from the University of Sydney in Australia investigated this middle-school phenomenon, looking specifically at factors that caused students to switch on or switch off in mathematics.  The Journal of Educational Psychology recently published the findings, based on data drawn from over 1,600 Australian middle school students.

One of the primary factors the researchers identified in turning students onto math is self-efficacy—students’ perceived capabilities to learn or accomplish mathematical tasks.  According to the published article, teachers can foster self-efficacy in students by maximizing opportunities for achievement.  For example, educators should build on skills students have already mastered and help students develop appropriate goal-setting (i.e. goals that are challenging but still realistic).  

Another critical factor they identified stems from students’ perception of the value of math.  Educators and parents can emphasize the importance of math and the development of math-related skills by demonstrating its usefulness in the real world.  In addition, it is important that educators and parents model positive attitudes toward math.

Number Talk in Early Childhood

Over the past few years, educators and experts all over the country have been investigating how we can advance STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education and close the achievement gap in these disciplines.  Although research and policy has focused primarily on K-12 education, recent studies show that we can build a foundation for STEM success in early childhood.

In a study conducted at the University of Chicago, researchers found that engagement with “number talk” in early childhood is actually a key predictor of math achievement once children enter school.  The study revealed a large variation among the participating families in terms of how many number words parents spoke in front of their young children (ages 14-30 months)—many children heard as few as three or four number words in an average day, and these children tended to struggle with basic math concepts.  Journalist Annie Murphy Paul, in an article published by the education web site MindShift, aptly commented: “Many of us feel completely comfortable talking about letters, words, and sentences with our children—reading to them at night, helping them decode their own books… But speaking to them about numbers, fractions, and decimals? Not so much.” 

This “number talk” in early childhood provides another tool we can use to promote STEM achievement.  The MindShift article provides some simple tips for incorporating math words into conversation with young children:

• Read numbers on road signs and in store windows.
• Ask a child to count toys, books,… or the number of broccoli florets the child has left on the dinner plate.
• Count down the hours to bedtime or the days to a holiday, and discuss temperatures in a weather forecast.
• Talk with older children about quantities in their favorite subjects and pastimes, such as sports scores or science projects.

Please share any additional tips on promoting “number talk” at home or in the classroom!

Above image provided by Chad Elliott.

Math Tutorials: For Students, by Students

Sixth grade math students at Lincoln Middle School in Santa Monica, California aren’t just learning math—they’re teaching it too. After teacher Eric Marcos created screencasting videos on his tablet PC for a student in need of extra help, his students wanted to make their own tutorial videos. Marcos compiled his class’s work onto MathTrain.TV, which is available to students worldwide. The class also has a podcast and an app on iTunes for the iPhone and iPad.

While online video tutorials are becoming widespread as technology receives increasing emphasis in education, not many are created for students, by students. The sixth graders at Lincoln Middle School enjoy staying after school to work on their videos, and the project has them spending lots of time thinking about math. Marcos points out that his students must understand concepts deeply in order to create meaningful instructional videos. And the students love doing math in a creative environment and helping out other students. As Marcos says, “they’re taking an active role in their own learning.”

MathTrain.TV is gaining a global following. Marcos even presented it at this summer’s ISTE conference. Students can view videos made by the sixth graders at Lincoln Middle School as well as screencasts about how to create their own tutorials. To read more about MathTrain.TV, check out the MindShift blog. The web continues to be an evolving source of math resources and learning opportunities for students.

Watch the story on Eric Marcos and his students' videos here!