EngageMath
Comprehensive Numeracy Strategy, K to 12
Attitudes to Math
Ugh. Math. Unfortunately, this is the attitude many students (and adults) have about math. If we're going to help our students achieve numeracy greatness, we need to turn these negative attitudes into positive ones. So, our EngageMath work starts with something we have enormous influence over—our attitude towards math.
Everyone is born with a math gene
According to Stanford University Professor Carol Dweck, students who believe that intelligence, or math and science ability is a fixed trait are at a significant disadvantage compared to students who believe their abilities can be developed. Like anything else, our talents and abilities in math are nurtured only if we have a growth mindset about them. A “Yes I can” attitude when it comes to numeracy is the first step. A “Count on Us” attitude comes next.
Assessing mindsets
Take Carol Dweck and Lisa Sorich Blackwell's online assessments to assess:
- your personal mindset and how it may be impacting your success as an educator
- your students' motivational behaviour in the classroom
- the mindset of your current classroom environment and how it may be impacting student motivation
- the mindset of your current school environment and how it may be impacting the success of students and staff
Learn more
To learn more about Dweck's research on student mindsets and how they help students fulfill their potential, watch her Ridley lecture on student mindsets.
EQAO Attitudes Survey
In May 2012, the Education Quality & Accountability Office (EQAO) released their "Factors That Are Related to Student Achievement on the EQAO Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics" bulletin. Included in their report is a graph that shows the relationship between student attitudes and achievement.
Students who said they liked mathematics and felt they were good at mathematics were more likely to meet the provincial standard on the Grade 9 mathematics assessment. For example, of students in the academic course who agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “I like mathematics,” 91% met the provincial standard; of those who disagreed or strongly disagreed, 68% met the standard.
See other EQAO research reports on their website.
The Mathematics of Hope by Jo Boaler
Education Researcher Jo Boaler says that a fixed mindset about math is embraced long before students enter high school. She says it starts as soon as kids first go to school.
She says, “Unfortunately, there is a belief that you’re either a math person or you’re not. Kids believe that. Parents believe that, and most devastatingly, teachers believe that. This idea that you haven’t got the brain for math, it’s really outdated. Anybody can grow a brain that’s needed to excel in math.”
It should never be okay to say, “No matter how hard I try, I will never understand math.” We’d never say, “I’m not really good at reading.” But for some reason, we feel it’s okay to brag about our math challenges and laugh about them.
Read Boaler's "The Mathematics of Hope" to learn how we move from performance to learning in math classrooms.
EngageMath micro-site
Online math resources for parents
While the EngageMath strategy plans out certain actions, it is by no means a magic bullet to answering the questions and challenges surrounding numeracy and student achievement. Math success for all our students requires a strong partnership between home and school.
Online resources to help parents support their children or teen's numeracy success are available on the Peel board’s website. There you will find links to tip sheets, Homework Help, Mathies.ca, and elementary and secondary mathematics curriculum.
#EngageMath rules on Oct. 10 PA Day
#EngageMath and #PeelMathChat on Twitter
To keep up-to-date with EngageMath on Twitter, follow #EngageMath and #PeelMathChat. See the #PeelMathChat Storify from Oct. 23 on Making Student Thinking Visible.
The next #PeelMathChat will take place on Nov. 27 from 8 to 9 p.m. and will focus on Proportional Reasoning and the importance of relationship between numbers. Everyone is welcome.
The EngageMath Team
The Peel board's Instructional Co-ordinator for Mathematical Literacy Mary Fiore and her team of Math Resource Teachers (Tina Grandy, Mashelle Kaukab and Matthew Oldridge) will support the implementation of EngageMath in Peel.
In addition, more than 60 instructional coaches have been deployed in Peel schools to support staff in focused professional development in the use of effective math instructional strategies.
Email: mary.fiore@peelsb.com
Website: https://portal.peelschools.org/EngageMath
Phone: 905-890-1010
Twitter: @Peelschools