How To Get Your Students Excited About Math Again
Math is a beautiful subject for so many reasons. For starters, it’s the same in every country; not many subjects are universal. Plus, there isn’t one way to teach math, and teachers can get as creative as they want. If you’re struggling to get your class excited, check out how to get your students excited about math again.
Always Push the Positive
When your students feel irritable about math, it’s not because they have actual disdain for the subject. Most of the time, they feel resentful and negative because they don’t understand what’s happening, and they’re not hopeful about ever understanding the subject.
This is where you step in as their instructor. Always push the positive and constantly remind them that they can learn to grasp the material. Sometimes you just need to back into it from a different angle. Break down the parts of the problem and ask them where they get stuck. Once you find the spot or spots, brainstorm some new ways to explain the material.
Get Them Active
Who says you need to learn math while sitting down? You need to get the blood flowing. Have your students stand up and find another way to learn the subject. Consider doing a few math drills, such as having them come to the board and work on a math problem. Don’t make them solve the entire problem, just a portion of it. Then, have a new student come up to complete it.
Or consider including a project with whatever subject you’re teaching them. Teach your students math with model rockets because the subject plays a big role in the construction process. They construct and get to launch the rocket, so they learn math and have fun. Talk about having a blast!
Combine Other Fascinations
Combine math with something that the students love. Maybe math isn’t a fan favorite, but everyone loves music. It’s always a crowd-pleaser and pairs well with math. In fact, the intersection between math and musical theory is fascinating.
Music helps students focus on the problems they’re learning in one of the most unconventional ways. The rhythm, timing, pitch, harmony, and musical structure relate to math and connect in a way students wouldn’t have predicted.
Make Life Connections
At the end of the day, we need math in life. If your students ever say, “When am I going to need to know this?” take that as a clear sign that it’s time to show them the exact point. You need to remind them that there’s a point behind all this learning.
You’re not trying to waste their time, and when they see how math relates to their personal lives, they’ll have more of an interest in learning the curriculum. It will impact them directly, and they need to prepare for it.
Getting your students excited about math again may take some finesse and creative approaches to learning on your part, but with these tips, you can do it.
