Many students struggle with math, but there isn't a single solution to the problem. As we saw in the last post there are multiple ways to solving 95 * 95. Some great suggestions that were provided by readers:
1) HannahCitizenKane suggested to simplify the problem to one that is easier to solve; Subtracting (95 * 10)/ 2 from the product of 95 * 100.
2) Alexander suggested utilizing a square root property for numbers that add in five, similar to the post on Squares ending with five
3) Maria Miller suggested setting up the problem so that it can be solved using the FOIL (First, Outer, Inner and Last) method.
Two other methods that can be used are:
Just as there isn't one solution to solving 95 * 95 there isn't one solution in helping students with math. As the problems get more complex students need to enhance and upgrade their problem solving tools, while still utilizing the fundamental principles that worked earlier. If there are flaws in the foundational skills then there will be struggles with the more complex problem solving tools.
An important and potentially foundational aspect of why students might struggle with math is the social and psychological challenges. Some examples are:
What do you think are some other social and psychological challenges related to math? Any solutions that you might suggest?
1) HannahCitizenKane suggested to simplify the problem to one that is easier to solve; Subtracting (95 * 10)/ 2 from the product of 95 * 100.
2) Alexander suggested utilizing a square root property for numbers that add in five, similar to the post on Squares ending with five
3) Maria Miller suggested setting up the problem so that it can be solved using the FOIL (First, Outer, Inner and Last) method.
Two other methods that can be used are:
- Numbers near 100
- Tens are mirrors and ones sum to zero
- Similar, but more broadly applied than the squares ending in five method
Just as there isn't one solution to solving 95 * 95 there isn't one solution in helping students with math. As the problems get more complex students need to enhance and upgrade their problem solving tools, while still utilizing the fundamental principles that worked earlier. If there are flaws in the foundational skills then there will be struggles with the more complex problem solving tools.
An important and potentially foundational aspect of why students might struggle with math is the social and psychological challenges. Some examples are:
- Math is hard / I'm not good at math
- Math is uncool and boring / I don't want to stand out for knowing the right answer or for liking math
- Math isn't used in the real world / I am only being taught this math lesson so I can pass a test
- Most people aren't good at math / Nobody expects me to be good at math, especially if I'm a girl
What do you think are some other social and psychological challenges related to math? Any solutions that you might suggest?
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