The main point I want to remember from my first day of Project NExT is focus not on teaching math but rather on teaching students. I want to put the emphasis on people, not content.
In practice, this means abandoning lecture as the primary mode of instruction (and indeed, all the research on math education supports active learning as the more effective and equitable technique when compared to lecturing). This means providing individual instruction and support to students when possible. This means instilling in my students the skills of high-level thinking and problem-solving, rather than rote memorization and algorithm-repetition.
When we focus on teaching students, we are more equipped to recognize and address the problems our students are having. It is easy for an instructor to claim, “I taught the material, so I don’t know why some of my students don’t understand.” Rather we should ask ourselves, “Did I teach my students?” and if many students seem to be struggling, then we need to reflect on how change that. By talking with our students, we can learn about their struggles and how better to help them learn. To be in this mindset, we must be focused on the people, not the material.
Teaching students also means being cognizant of the inequities in our classrooms and working to remedy them. An instructor can ignore all the realities of our world–the biases, systemic obstacles, and individual hurdles–and give a well-delivered lecture focused on the math. This method serves to perpetuate these problems and the inequalities they create. An instructor who’s focused on teaching students must confront these problems in order for their student to succeed. This means being culturally responsive in our lessons and setting class norms that create an inclusive environment.
Some other tidbits I want to remember from today:
- Tactile learning helps students remember lessons better. For example, using pieces of string to model curves and their derivatives is more memorable than simply drawing the curves and their derivatives on paper.
- While I prefer to keep politics out of the classroom, human rights and equity are not inherently political. For example, I do not consider “Black lives matter” to be a political statement, and it’s not a phrase I should avoid using in class.
- Give students the chance to convince each other of their answers after a round of polling (clickers), then let them answer the poll again. Students will learn to explain and defend their thinking and will also practice changing their stance based on new information.
I had a great first day at Project NExT and am excited to see what the week brings!
Brad Elliott's Math Blog 