An EducationWeek story, written by Larry Ferlazzo, highlights ways teachers can teach mathematics in order to show students the relevance of it in their lives. Ferlazzo highlights math professionals and long-time math teachers, who share their strategies.
The first teacher is Emily Burrell, who suggests teachers should cultivate students' thoughts around mathematics by carefully listening to them when they have a question. When students feel heard and that their teacher understands all the approaches they used, they will grow the confidence to later tackle the problem without teacher assistance. Another method, given by mathematic author and CEO, Deborah Peart Crayton, is for teachers to give students a purpose for solving a math problem such as taking a problem they are having and using math to solve it. She used a problem, like limited supply of milk at lunch, to walk students through a solution by using math.
Ralph Pantozzi, an award winning math teacher, suggests for teachers to be transparent about why students are learning a particular skill and how it will apply to future skills. When students make more connections, they will learn and retain more information. Finally, Sarah Nichols, a secondary teacher, notes the importance of cooperative learning such as working in groups and talking about mistakes. Telling students they are learning concrete skills needed to be successful adults, not just mathematicians, will help better understand its relevance.
To learn more about the methods these professionals recommended and/or used in a classroom, read the full article on the EducationWeek website.