I’m showing my age here – I remember when blogs first started appearing. Up until recently I haven’t really followed many blogs. However now I’ve discovered they can be informative, controversial, funny and entertaining. There are even knitting blogs! Recently, I’ve found a mathematician that I think is worth following – regularly. Something that bothers me as I’m teaching is the large number of people – students, teachers, friends, who have maths anxiety. As a maths teacher this bothers me greatly, especially when I see parents with maths anxiety who have infected their children from an early age. Maths is NOT difficult.
So back to maths anxiety. This tends to hold girls back more than boys. So it limits life options for girls much more than boys. It limits career options, ability to take part in any debate where arguments are based on numerical data, and ability to make decisions about money. In short, it limits your ability to play your part as a citizen. Basic competence in maths should be a human right and is definitely a life skill.
So what to do? Everyone can do their bit. Here’s a list if you want to take part:
From another blog (Quartz ) I will leave you with this, and ask you “does it sound familiar?” For those who have taught maths (or any subject), we have seen the following pattern repeat itself:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cerdec/9525531960 ~Kris Claman
5 Comments
Rose Gordon
17/3/2017 09:48:44 am
One of my favourite things in Physics is when students suddenly realise that maths is great and such a useful tool in my subject. It is often the ones who haven't realised that Maths can be so cool.
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Jane Smallfield
17/3/2017 09:52:34 am
Enjoyed your blog thanks Chris
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Cheree Henderson
17/3/2017 10:41:27 am
This has been very helpful for me as a parent! Thanks Kris
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Linda Miller
17/3/2017 11:26:42 pm
What a great blog Kris. What you have said is so true and I have heard it so many times over the years. I do wish I had done a better job as a parent to champion mathematics learning. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
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Kathryn Dick
18/3/2017 11:04:19 am
Quite serendipitously I had a great chat with Dr Martin this morning in K7 extolling the link between music performance and theory...and maths. As an 'anxious' mathematician as a child, no one helped me find the connection between what I was good at (piano, theory, time signatures) and maths. I never saw it as 1) just a language and 2) the same as music. Our conversation in K7 was celebratory of maths and music. I think my anxiety came from my wonderful parents who had the 'I was never any good at maths' thing going on. And they were living in a pre-feminist enclave in Oamaru. I wasn't actually expected to be good. My brother on the other hand....
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