How often have you heard someone say, “I’m not good at math,”or, “I’ve never been a ‘math person’”? As math educators, we’re used to parents, students, fellow teachers — and even strangers — sharing their math struggles with us.
But math doesn’t have to be cringeworthy. Math instruction has evolved quite a bit since we were children. Gone are the days of focusing extensively on math drills alone. Utah students are instead learning more conceptual approaches to math. Our teachers encourage curiosity about math and strive to create safe learning environments that make space for students to productively struggle — and it’s working.
Utah has made significant progress in improving elementary mathematics teaching and learning and is among the nation’s leaders in revitalizing high school mathematics. At the elementary level, we’re seeing a commitment to help every student maintain progress through grade-level mathematics. Students are entering middle school and high school better prepared than ever. And after revamping the first three years of high school mathematics courses to better prepare students with the comprehensive high school education they need, there is also an increase of students taking higher levels of mathematics.
These successes happen in part because of teachers using innovative research-backed teaching practices and allowing for co-taught classrooms — pairing a general-ed teacher and a special-ed teacher in a classroom where students with disabilities participate alongside their general-ed classmates. Additionally, there’s been a deliberate shift among Utah teachers and administrators to encourage a growth mindset. All students can learn mathematics, and there are things Utah teachers can do in and out of the classroom to help every single student succeed — no matter what level they’re on.
One way we work to grow this mentality that all students are capable of learning math is through professional development opportunities, such as our recent “Maximize Mathematics Learning for All Students” conference — co-hosted by the Utah Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the Utah State Board of Education. One thousand Utah educators gathered this week in Ogden to share ideas, listen to national experts, and examine instructional resources as part of their ongoing commitment to continually improve their teaching. These opportunities also allow Utah educators to proactively work together toward equity in the classroom to ensure that every student in the state can — and will — succeed.
We know from research that raising expectations for all students pays off in terms of higher achievement across the board. Utah is no exception, and it’s good to see progress in terms of reducing the number of “slowed-down” courses we offer students. We now know that when a student takes two years to go through a one-year course, neither the student’s attitude toward math nor the student’s ability to do it are likely to improve. So focusing on maximizing learning helps teachers learn new strategies for helping every student maintain progress and stay on or above grade level.
Parents, one easy actionable thing you can do to help your child succeed in mathematics is to speak positively about the experience. Saying “I wasn’t good at math, so it’s okay that you’re not either” to your child can create a negative, fixed mindset about math for a child. We encourage parents to instead share messages like, “I know it may feel like a difficult challenge, but you can do it.” If your child says, “I can’t do this math problem,” help them adapt their language by saying, “You can’t do this math problem yet.” Acknowledging the difficulty they feel is fine — but it’s important to their learning to praise their effort and remind them they are capable of learning and doing well.
Utah math educators — and parents — certainly do have much to be proud of. The recent “Maximize Mathematics Learning for All Students” conference is just one part of the broader commitment by Utah math educators to truly help every student maximize her or his mathematics learning. We’re eager to continue working with our fellow Utah educators to highlight what’s working and envision together what more might still be possible to ensure that every Utah student fulfills his or her mathematical potential.
Karen Feld of Orem is the current president of the Utah Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Cathy Seeley of Austin, Texas, is a past president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.