The head of Zoe's Math Center helped her with factoring trinomials on Tuesday. She gave her a college algebra book that has almost 100 problems for each way of factoring. She thinks the best way to really learn how to factor trinomials is to just do a lot of them. I think Zoe has it down because she did 20 problems in half an hour yesterday and got them all correct.
I so grateful that Zoe seems to have inherited Pere's math talent rather than my math anxiety.
I am not sure what my problem was. When I think back I remember feeling rushed all the time. Part of my reputation as the "smart girl" in class was always finishing my in class work first. The faster I got it done the smarter I felt. And, it wasn't like I did a half ass job either. I did it quick and I did it well. All the Humanities came easily to me, and, for awhile, so did math and science.
But, there were times when I couldn't be right and first in math and that made me feel anxious and stupid. I got all choked up and some part of my brain would just shut down, out of fear.
I never learned that it was okay to spend a long time trying to figure out a math problem. I thought that if the answer didn't pop into my head immediately then I was "bad" at math. I hadn't really been bad at anything before and it threw me for a loop.
I can kind of see some of that same attitude in Zoe. She will say a type of problem is "really hard" but I maintain that if you can do a whole page of problems and get 90% of then correct, then it is probably not too hard. That seems the appropriate level of challenge to me.
I have made an effort let Zoe spend a lot of time on one problem. I want her to get the idea that the answer is there, and she is allowed to take the time she needs to find it.
Life of Fred Algebra is interesting because in almost each set of problems there is a problem that the book hasn't covered yet. There is really no reason she would know how to solve the problem. It was really frustrating at first. But, now we expect them and I use them to give her the experience of searching and trying and getting things wrong and trying again and utilizing her resources to find the answer (her resources are the book, the internet, me, her dad and Math Center tutors)
Zoe is a very quick learner in math. She had no problem with long division or fractions. She is zipping through algebra pretty handily too. So I think these challenging questions are really helpful. I am hoping she wont be afraid like I was (sometimes still am). I am hoping she learns that math isn't about being first. I hope she can learn to enjoy the mystery and the hunt and not run away when things aren't easy.
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Ami enjoyed learning trinomials; she thought they were fun. My spouse thought the intuitive method he used was great. I was surprised by how quick she was. She has enjoyed the second Fred book as well. I think we are going to get her Art of Problem Solving next year as a supplement, but since she loves Fred so much we will continue on in the series.
ReplyDeleteI empathize with your position on math. My spouse teaches math due to my math anxiety. I did really well in college calculus, but math is not my thing. I did not want to pass that on.
Ami is a great problem solver, but she needs to watch her details. She is more likely to make a mistake in detail versus her thinking. She does have an impatient streak, and perfectionistic tendency, and she gets upset sometimes, but usually goes back to figure it out on her own after a break.
Funny all the talk about trinomials (I'm currently teaching this to an 8th grade student out of school on medical reasons, in the evenings)- we're using the Virginia Tech Method for poly & trinomials.
ReplyDeleteSo far, so good.
I have wicked math anxiety and so does Nathaniel. He has an aversion to anything that he has to work hard to accomplish, which is something we struggle with a lot. There aren't many things in the category, which makes it all that much more difficult to cope with when he hits a stumbling block.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like Zoe has an awesome "team" for math. I'm jealous! :)