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Thinking Freely Volume 1 Issue 4
Are we sometimes a little crazy when it comes to our handling of mathematics instruction for adult students? Insanity has been defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. How is mathematics taught to adults? How does it vary from the way it was taught to children? Do the adult students feel that they are presented with new material and new ideas? Or is it déjà vu all over again for them? Can we change? Yes we can! Yes, we must!
Each Year 1/2 million graduate from high school that are not prepared for college level algebra and a large percentage of elementary school teachers admit to being anxious about math.Math phobia and math avoidance are direct results of our refusal to change. As long as students sense that they are going to have the same negative experiences that they had in the past, a wall of resistance will emerge.
To overcome that we must take what will seem to them a totally different approach. It has been my experience that once they are made comfortable in accepting the instruction they learn and learn well.To achieve success in an adult math education it is important for us to look at new approaches!
