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| Image courtesy of Lišiak, Wikimedia |
During the first month of school students took a True or False math quiz designed to bust some math myths. Can you get all the answers right?
1. False, research shows that boys and girls can do equally well at math. Unfortunately, girls often hear the message that girls aren't good at math, and too often they believe it.
2. False, the language you speak has nothing to do with how well you can do at math. Again, lots of Hispanic children hear that Spanish speakers aren't as good at math, but research shows that's just not true. Everyone can do well at math.
3. False. There's no such thing as having a "math brain." Everyone can do well at math, some people may just have had better experiences with math or more practice thinking mathematically.
4. False. Math is really a creative activity. There are many ways to arrive at the answer. This week students were asked how they arrived at the answer to 12 + 7. In less than 15 minutes, 11 students explained their 11 different approaches.
5. False. I am not always right! Students often have fun pointing out my mistakes in class.
6. False. Students are often surprised to find out that getting the wrong answer to a problem doesn't mean they got the whole problem wrong. They may have done a lot of things right along the way. I am more interested in their thinking process than just getting the answer right. (Hint: the more students show their work, the more credit they are likely to get.)
7. False. Mistakes aren't something to be embarrassed about, they are to be investigated and celebrated. Would you believe that making mistakes and correcting them is one of the best ways to grow your brain? It's true.
8. False. Your brain doesn't do much growing if you are just doing something you already do well. You need a bigger challenge.
9. False. If you have a question, you are probably thinking and stretching your brain. Please ask it, someone else may have the same one!
10. False. Everyone has questions, just not everyone is willing to speak up.
11. False. Learning the algorithms in math doesn't actually mean you understand math. The best way to learn math is by developing "number sense." Some ways to do this are by doing number talks and really thinking about what we are doing when we do math.
12. False. Studies have shown that students who talk to each other about math do better. Talking about math exposes students to the many different approaches to problem solving.
13. False. Often the students who finish first rushed through what they were doing without stretching their brains. Sometimes what they were working on was not challenging enough for them.
14. False. Faster isn't necessarily smarter. In fact, there are some very famous mathematicians who work slowly.
15. False. You can be a poor test taker or be given poor tests. In either case, tests won't tell what you really know about math.
16. True. This year students will be given self-assessments to let me know how well they think they know what I want them to know in each chapter. This will give them a chance to go back and ask questions about things they are uncertain about before a test.
17. True. Students will have the opportunity to practice something that was hard for them and show me that they have mastered it.
18. True. Sometimes making sense of math takes time, but that's all right. It is so much fun when the light bulb goes on and a student "got it."
19. False. You use math every day even though you may not realize it. You use it when you estimate how much time before bed. You use it when you put just the right amount of milk on your cereal.
20. False. Although you would know a lot of math if you took math every year until you graduated from college, there is more math out there to be discovered. No one knows it all!
If you found this quiz and the answers interesting, I suggest you check out the Brain Science link at youcubed.org. Maybe you too will become a youcubian!
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