Making Math Less Scary Starts with Belonging
Whether your career has led you back to the school environment or far from it, you have undoubtedly heard someone, perhaps yourself, utter the phrase, “I’m not a math person.” This regrettable phrase is rooted in one. single. catastrophic feeling that probably began long before its utterer had been introduced to fractions. That catastrophic feeling is not belonging, and it can have a direct impact on your confidence, your motivation, and most importantly for math, your stick-to-itiveness. Yes, stick-to-itiveness is an actual word. The Britannica Dictionary calls it “the quality that allows someone to continue trying to do something even though it is difficult or unpleasant.” The unpleasant description of math stings a little, but I’ll accept it to prove a point.
In order to feel comfortable not yet understanding something in math class, a student cannot already feel uncomfortable simply being in the classroom. It’s no different than the characters in a scary movie who make terrible life choices like running up the stairs instead of out the door. Why should we expect them to successfully problem-solve when being chased by a zombie? Clearly, they are distracted by their discomfort in the situation! A student’s sense of belonging is critical to them feeling grounded, steady, and capable. Then, when a scary situation like a word problem appears in front of them, they can rest assured that they are in a safe space to go for it, try and find the solution, and maybe even make a mistake. After all, learning from each other's mistakes in mathematics is how we make our brains grow!
So how do I go about ensuring I build a sense of belonging in my math classroom? Well, it started when the GUS faculty were asked to read Design For Belonging by Susie Wise over the summer of 2023. The book itself offers stories of inspiring leaders who’ve worked to build greater belonging in their communities. I dutifully read each page while sitting on the shore of the Essex River and stumbled upon a section about contributing. A school principal actively cultivated belonging during an intensive two-week professional development series by beginning each day asking newly hired teachers to share an artistic practice they enjoy. The exercise gave each new teacher an opportunity to share a piece of themselves with the group, and in turn, feel seen and received by the community. It was this example that inspired my first project of the year, which I titled “The Hidden Math Talent” project, described in the first bullet below.
A huge part of our role as educators is to ensure every student has space to make contributions, both big and small, and feel that their presence in the classroom matters. This project in particular encouraged me to reflect on the other ways I make sure students know that they belong in my classroom. Here are just a few:
I ask students to pick a talent, hobby, or passion they’d like to share with the class and call it the “Hidden Math Talent” project. After demonstrating their talent (through a demonstration, video, or artifact) they must explain how this talent utilizes one of the Eight Standards for Mathematical Practice. This helps students see that their thinking and approaches to math are respected and accepted by me and their peers.
I unpack what a mathematician looks like by having students brainstorm stereotypical features like “wears glasses,” “bald,” “old white man,” and “nerdy,” and then discuss the many contributions of several mathematicians from groups often marginalized. This exercise not only counteracts those stereotypical messages but also affirms that everyone belongs in mathematics.
I conduct daily math talks at the start of class where students are asked to solve a mental math problem. Students then share their own mathematical thinking and how they reasoned their way to a solution. It’s a wonderful way to showcase how diverse our brain pathways are as we see the different methods used to solve the same problem.
I differentiate assignments. Students who are ready for a challenge can take a concept further, while those students who feel they need to dive deeper into the current material can tackle a different assignment. Understanding and valuing learner variability is critical to building student belonging, and that is something we excel at here at GUS.
I regularly reference the real-life applications of mathematics so students can see how essential math skills are to our 21st-century society. Financial literacy in particular is woven into the curriculum, culminating in the students creating their own money-based market economy in the spring. When students see the relevance of what they are learning to the real world, they immediately feel more connected and motivated to learn.
The School’s vision for empowering a generation of young people to do better not only applies to GUS students but to us faculty members as well. I am eager to see how this new framework of prioritizing student belonging helps me to do better myself. After all, intentionally creating a learning environment that fosters belonging will not only lead to more proficient math scholars, it will lead to more joyful learning and hopefully make math a little less scary for all.
Follow Bradley on instagram @mathartma, where she shares projects that tap into her creative side to help solve problems and engage kids in math.