Math

Is it Possible That Some People Can’t Do Math?

According to cognitive psychologist Daniel Willingham, no.

"While it is true that some people are better at math than others -- just like some are better than others at writing or building cabinets or anything else -- it is also true that the vast majority of people are fully capable of learning k-12 mathematics."

I was relieved to read this because I've assumed I was "bad at math" since the 10th grade. Apparently this is a common misconception in our society.

A few other quotes from the article that struck me:

"We should expect that mathematical proficiency will require careful cultivation and will develop slowly. At the same time, we should keep in mind that students are born with the ability to learn math."

"The automatic retrieval of basic math facts is critical to solving complex problems because complex problems have simpler problems embedded in them."

"Knowledge of math facts is associated with better performance on more complex math tasks."

You can read the full article in the American Educator.

Kumon anybody?

Illustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis

9 Comments

Anonymous

I think this goes back to your post a couple of days ago about the group of Chinese students (albeit a very select group) who scored, on average, in the high 700s on the SAT.

As many people have pointed out, there's a fundamental difference in the way people who have gone through school in the United States and people who have gone through school in a top-performing Asian country view mathematical ability, namely that the Americans view math -- indeed most academic skills -- as something people are either inherently "gifted" or "not gifted" at, whereas many Asians view math as something that nearly anyone can master with the proper approach and dedication.

http://www.perfectscoreproject.com Debbie Stier

Agreed.

KUMON!! I CAN'T WAIT TO DO IT.
Anonymous

Great point Erica! The idea of repetitive practice, especially at something that is hard, seems to be a foreign concept to some of my lowest scoring students. The highest scorers, oddly enough, have no problem slogging through hard work

http://www.perfectscoreproject.com Debbie Stier

I finally got my daughter to show me her math (she's in 8th grade) and it's SAT math! Full on Function problems and polynomials and exponents, etc.

And even though she resists and protests and acts like the 13 year old girl that she is, when no one else was at the dining room table tonight, she admitted that a) she likes math, and b) she's excited to do Kumon with her brother and me this summer.

Anonymous

Yay for girls who like math!

Elise

I can think of two examples where I knew people who hated math and said that they were bad at it but once they found that they could actually learn it, they became more happy with it and confident. It's a nice thing to watch. I'm wondering if my 70 year old neighbor who claims to be bad in math and dyslexic to boot would be willing to go through an experiment...ha ha.

http://www.perfectscoreproject.com Debbie Stier

I have to say, as someone who gave up on math over 30 years ago, it is extremely satisfying to FINALLY be understanding it. I recently recalled that it was triangles in 10th grade that did me in. I never pushed through the pain to get to that satisfying moment of UNDERSTANDING!

I'm also convinced that much of the stress kids feel is about being unprepared. When you're prepared, you're psyched to take a test, right?!

Liz Ditz

New paper:

Butterworth, B., Varma, S., & Laufillard, D. (2011). Dyscalculia: From brain to education. Science, 332, 1049-1053. DOI: 10.1126/science.1201536

Abstract:

Recent research in cognitive and developmental neuroscience is providing
a new approach to the understanding of dyscalculia that emphasizes a
core deficit in understanding sets and their numerosities, which is
fundamental to all aspects of elementary school mathematics. The neural
bases of numerosity processing have been investigated in structural and
functional neuroimaging studies of adults and children, and neural
markers of its impairment in dyscalculia have been identified. New
interventions to strengthen numerosity processing, including adaptive
software, promise effective evidence-based education for dyscalculic
learners.

Also see

http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/RandD/details.asp?ID=1066

National Research and Development Center on Improving Mathematics Instruction for Students with Mathematics Difficulties

Topic: Cognition and Mathematics Instruction

Purpose: The purpose of the National Center on
Mathematics Instruction for Students with Mathematics Difficulties is to
increase knowledge of how children acquire and fail to acquire an
understanding of rational numbers (i.e., fractions) and how children
with math difficulties can be taught to understand and operate fluently
with rational numbers.

The new center will conduct exploratory research including both
small-scale experimental and longitudinal studies to examine the
cognitive processes, such as working memory and inhibition, that impede
understanding and operating with fractions. Findings from these studies
will be used to inform the design of an intervention package intended to
improve fraction skills in students with math difficulties.

Established through a five-year, $9.9 million grant from the
Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of
Education, the center is staffed with nationally-recognized experts in
math education and instruction, cognitive psychology, mathematics
difficulties, and research evaluation and methodology.

and

Geary, D. C. (2011). Consequences, characteristics, and causes of mathematical learning disabilities and persistent low achievement in mathematics. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 32, 250-163.

Geary, D. C., Hoard, M. K., Byrd-Craven, J., Nugent, L., & Numtee, C. (2007). Cognitive mechanisms underlying achievement deficits in children with mathematical learning disability. Child Development, 78, 1343-1359.

http://www.perfectscoreproject.com Debbie Stier

Thank you for all of this info. I look forward to exploring all of it. When I posted the definition of dyscalculia a few weeks ago, a ton of people messaged me saying that they have it! http://perfectscoreproject.com/2011/05/dyscalculic/

I actually don't think that I have any math disability though (just btw). I think I have more of a case of bad education (mixed with a little late bloomer).