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Workin' On It Wednesday...Struggling with Math

Workin' On It Wednesday 3/5/14

I'm kind of behind this week, so I don't have any materials to share. But, what I have been working on is making my daughter "struggle" with math...does that sound wrong? During the past week, I
started thinking about how I used to spend time figuring out my math (Alg, Trig, Calc) when I was in high school. I had no one to help me or show me what to do if I made mistakes in my homework. I would check the answers in the back of the book, and if they were wrong, I took the time to work backwards and forwards again, until I figured out the solution (or got as close as possible!). Sometimes it was a real struggle for me, but I am the kind of person who likes to figure things out, and I tend to not give up until I find the answers. Reflecting on this, I believe I became a better math student as a result of these struggles.
Thinking about this made me realize that my daughter (9th grade) never really has to struggle to figure out her algebra work, because when she makes a mistake, I point it out right away and explain the correct process....and now I'm wondering if my help hasn't been as helpful as I'd hoped it would be. Soooo, this week, I explained my math struggle "history" to her, and then forced myself to sit back and let her find her own mistakes....tough for me, but I think the results will be positive!

What are you working on?







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Comments

  1. Activated EducationMarch 6, 2014 at 3:30 PM

    Thanks for hosting this link up!

    I am a middle school special education teacher, and I used to jump in and help my students (especially in math) waaaay to quickly. When we are pressed for time and they are often so used to failing they don't try it's hard to let them struggle, but it's definitely a skill every learner needs.

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  2. MicheleMarch 8, 2014 at 9:05 AM

    I think having students find and fix is awesome! I always make my students do error analysis questions in my units. It really promoted critical thinking skills. Thanks for hosting a link up!
    Michele

    Coffee Cups and Lesson Plans

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