After conducting our 2021-22 Math Literacy Project, we conducted a survey to determine the results. Among each of the teachers that participated, one widely accepted belief surfaced:
Math phobia is okay.
Harvard University’s Center for Education Policy Research conducted a study of over two-million students after the COVID-19 pandemic. In their findings they discovered that remote and hybrid learning during the pandemic led to even lower performance in math, according to race and school poverty levels. (Goldhaber, Kane, McEachin, Morton, Patterson, and Staiger, 2022)
They wrote, “high-poverty districts that went remote in 2020-21 will need to spend nearly all of their federal aid on academic recovery to help students recover from pandemic-related achievement losses.”
Very few people are sounding the alarm regarding the multi-decade failure of educational leaders to ensure an equitable, engaging, and empowering math experience for historically underserved students.
But what are the implications for these longstanding outcomes?
One is this – a student’s belief in their ability is fundamental to their success in math.
Students are brilliant and highly capable of thriving in a rigorous course of study. However, due to enduring years of lackluster math instruction, some resolve mathematics is not for them. Their parents/caregivers often share these sentiments, having had similar negative experiences as students, resulting in generations of individuals who have a disdain for math.
Critical to this support is helping educators, who also express similar sentiments, accept that their own experiences with math are not uncommon, however, phobias can be overcome with intentionality.
By the end of the program, 95% of participants in the Math Literacy Project expressed a commitment to more student-centered instruction. Over 85% of participants felt more knowledgeable about the research and the importance of helping students develop a mathematical mindset. Approximately 75% of participants stated they are more knowledgeable about developing or accessing resources to implement high cognitive demand tasks, with an additional thirty percent (30%) feeling somewhat comfortable.
It’s clear that partnering with Village Life Family is working to prepare educators to bridge the gap between fear and future academic success.
Join our team of scholastic partnerships and bring these dynamic educational experiences to your team and students.
Reach out today to discuss how we can help your students and teachers gain confidence over fear through math literacy education.