Mathematics Education 1

Running Head: MATHEMATICS EDUCATION

Why Students Hate Mathematics

Adam E. Marcus

Glen Allen High School

 Mathematics Education 2

Abstract

Mathematics today is commonly recognized as both the most valuable subject in school

as well as the most hated subject in school. Despite its clear applications to adults life, far too

many students still dislike it when they are in school. The reason for this dislike stems from how

mathematics is taught in our schools today. Our current education system places so much focus

on statistics that the actual learning piece is lost somewhere along the way. Teachers dont teach

so their students understand mathematics, they teach processes so that the students can blindly

repeat them to get correct answers. Rather than teaching solely processes through lecturing and

practice problems, teachers should practice collaborative learning philosophy, and also

implement cooperative learning strategies within the classroom, such as placing students in small

groups to work together on problems. These processes are proven to be effective at increasing

both achievement and positive attitude for the students in the class compared to a traditional

teacher centered classroom. In addition to group work, stressing creative problem solving rather

than rote tasks such as drilling practice problems has been successful in increasing positive

attitudes for students.

Additionally, technology must become a part of our education system to engage students.

It allows for a wider range of problems to be shown to the students, and also allows the teacher

to show the students many different methods to solve problems. This will also promote the

creative problem solving that is essential to student engagement and attitude in mathematics

classes. One tool in particular that can help students in mathematics is an interactive whiteboard,

which allows teachers to further engage students while learning material when used correctly.

Additionally, new computer software such as Geogebra can be implemented in mathematics

classrooms, as they provide new ways to display and manipulate material visually, both engaging
 Mathematics Education 3

the students and allowing the teacher more flexibility in their teachings. In the future, teachers

must strive to promote group work and creative problem solving in order to increase students

positive attitudes towards mathematics, as they will all need to use it later in life.

Introduction

In the United States education system, mathematics is commonly referred to by students

as their least favorite subject, with many claiming that they even hate it. But while some see it

as young students simply enjoying other subjects, the neglect of mathematics skills that

accompanies a hatred of the subject leaves our youth unprepared for their future, one which

requires some mathematical skills from every individual, regardless of their attitude towards it.

Mathematics is an essential part of an adults life, whether it be in the form of taxes or car buying

or paying a mortgage, therefore our next generations of adults must all have a foundation free

from resentment of the subject, so that they may effectively carry mathematical skills forward in

their lives. Students recognize the value of mathematics in life, with a Gallup poll showing that

34% of people felt that math was the most valuable subject they had to study. However, another

Gallup poll revealed that despite its commonly recognized value, mathematics was still viewed

as the most common least favorite subject among students (Jones, 2013). This exposes a

problem rooted in our education system, as so many students know the importance of the subject,

yet still dislike it strongly, which comes as a result of how they were taught. Our educators must

focus on collaborative and cooperative teaching styles that allow the students to work and

communicate with one another, as well as more creative problem solving over rote memorization

if our next generations are to graduate to adulthood prepared to face the inevitable mathematical

challenges of their futures.

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Individual vs. Group Work

Within any classroom, a mix of individual and group work is important in helping

students succeed, as well as grasp the material better. However, in todays standard mathematics

education, individual work is far more common than group work, leading to decreased student

interest in mathematics because it doesnt allow the opportunity to communicate

mathematically, reasoning mathematically, [and] develop self-confidence to solve mathematics

problems (Zakaira, Chin, & Daud, 2010). One such solution to this issue of individual work

and its lack of student communication is cooperative learning, where students are put into small

groups and must work together to solve each problem. According to Zakaira, Chin, and Daud,

the cooperative learning approach resulted in higher achievement than the traditional teaching

approaches (2010). Specifically, in their study, students who were in a class in which the

teacher implemented cooperative learning techniques, such working with small groups of

students, scored about 20% higher on an achievement test after only two weeks compared to

students in a traditional teacher centered classroom. These results were also determined to be

statistically significant, meaning that

the reason for the increase in students achievement could be caused by the
students involvement in explaining and receiving explanation in which the
concepts can be easily understood. Cooperative learning gives more space and
opportunities for students to discuss, solve problems, create solutions, provide
ideas and help each other (Zakaira, Chin, & Daud, 2010).

In addition to increasing achievement in mathematics, the same study also stated that,

the cooperative learning approach increase attitude towards mathematics. The same group of

students who scored higher on the achievement test also reported about 15% more positive

attitudes towards mathematics, leading Zakaira, Chin, & Daud to claim that the increase is most

likely because when students work in group they feel that they can depend on others for help
 Mathematics Education 5

and therefore increase their confidence in solving mathematics problems, which can indirectly

change their attitudes towards mathematics (2010). Cooperative learning was effective because

it emphasizes social interaction and relationships among groups of students and among

classmates in general, and actively involves students in the learning process.

However, while cooperative learning may be a very effective set of processes which

help students work together to solve problems and accomplish goals, teachers should

simultaneously practice the personal philosophy of collaborative learning (Panitz, 1999).

Collaborative learning is defined by its central idea that students should work together and build

off one another not just during group activities but all the time. Panitz determined that

collaborative learning was based off of five principles:

1. Working together results in a greater understanding than would likely have

occurred if one had worked independently.
2. Spoken and written interactions contribute to this increased understanding.
3. Opportunity exists to become aware, through classroom experiences, of
relationships between social interactions and increased understanding.
4. Some elements of this increased understanding are idiosyncratic and
unpredictable.
5. Participation is voluntary and must be freely entered into (1999).

These five principles must govern every mathematics classroom, as they are the most effective

way to engage students, taking the engagement from Zakaira, Chin, & Dauds study to another

level. With both collaborative learning philosophy, seen in the five principles from Panitz, and

cooperative learning processes, such as having students work together in small groups on a

problem, teachers will be able to create the optimal learning environment for their students, one

which inspires the communication and reasoning necessary to succeed in mathematics.

 Mathematics Education 6

Rote Tasks vs. Creative Problem Solving

Todays education system is so focused on statistics, rather than education. They value

improving a students mathematics scores first and promoting true understanding of the subject

second. As a result, teachers teach the students how to do problems by showing them a process

and having them practice it until they can do it in their sleep. What they fail at, however, is

promoting the understanding that must accompany a positive attitude in mathematics, because,

a childs growth in mathematics involves more than just mastering computational

skills. Identification of mathematical talent using only speed and accuracy of
computation would qualify hand-held calculators to be called talented
mathematicians. Mathematical talent requires creative applications of
mathematics in the exploration of problems, not replication of the work of others.
Problem solving is the heart of genuine mathematical activity, yet the supply of
curricular materials designed to support a problem-solving approach to
mathematical instruction is small in comparison to the materials aligned with a
procedural, mechanical point of view (Mann, 2006).

Teachers too often give students rote tasks such as drilling practice problems for hours, when in

reality this does not help them understand the material. Any student can memorize a process

demonstrated by the teacher and repeat it back, but they dont actually learn from this type of

teaching. They may be able to solve the problems, but it does them no good in life if they dont

understand why a solution works or where it is applicable in life. Instead, teachers must promote

creative problem solving because, the essence of mathematics is thinking creatively, not simply

arriving at the right answer (Mann, 2006). The best way they can do this is through cooperative

and collaborative learning described above, as it allows students to work together to work

through difficult problems, not just teach the student how to plug numbers into a process that

they are given.

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Additionally, most students simply complete their mathematics work and classes out of

a sense of professional obligation. They have little appreciation and are disengaged from the

subject. This is because mathematics is perceived by students as an isolated subject that lacks

opportunities to work with other students (Nardi & Steward, 2003). The unbending processes

that each student must learn harbors a sense of isolation of the subject. In every other subject,

they learn of multiple ways to find answers, however, in math, other methods to solve a problem

are not stressed enough. As a result, the students feel limited when solving problems, growing

tired of the same steps over and over, as if it were an obligation that they just need to get

through.

They resent mathematical learning as a rote-learning activity that involves the

manipulation of unquestionable rules, instead preferring collaboration and group work within

all contexts, teaching styles and learning environments (Nardi & Steward, 2003). Rote tasks are

a cause of students hatred of mathematics. They breed boredom for students, when they would

benefit from creative problem solving within the classroom instead. Therefore, implementing

the collaborative and cooperative learning techniques and philosophies detail previously will not

only improve the students achievement in mathematics, it will also allow them to solve

problems creatively. This, in turn, will improve their attitude towards the subject, helping to

reduce the number of people who dislike this extremely important and applicable subject.

Technology in Mathematics

In todays world, technology has become an important part of our education system in

several different ways. Some teachers can take advantage of these technologies to aid in their

teaching, while others are unable to afford those same technologies; however, many things

continue to become more and more accessible every day. With that increased accessibility,
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teachers must take advantage of what technology they can, as it will help them tremendously in

effectively educating their students.

Technology will result in increased emphasis on embedded and situated mathematics,

meaning an increased focus on real world problems and how mathematics applies to them

(Shaffer & Kaput, 1998). This shift will occur because technology allows for so many more

diverse problems to be taught, and as a result we must have better mathematical foundational

knowledge to solve them. Rather than simple computational skills, we must be able to think

creatively to solve problems without going through the same steps every time (Shaffer & Kaput,

1998).

Technology allows for more methods of teaching students how to do problems, showing

them alternatives that may be easier for them to understand individually. For example, a teacher

could show students how to solve a problem by hand using a whiteboard, or they could use a

calculator emulator and project it on the boards, showing them all of the different ways they can

solve it on a calculator, in addition to solving it on a whiteboard.

One such piece of technology that has grown common in many classrooms in recent

years is the interactive whiteboard. From personal experience teaching mathematics, the

effectiveness of teaching with an interactive whiteboard is evident. When it is in use, the

students seem to be much more attentive than when going over worksheets. This increased

attentiveness is because interactive whiteboards allow for teachers to engage the students and

command their attention in a way that lecturing cannot. They are much more engaged in the

material and as a result are able to grasp it quicker and more effectively (Glover, Miller, Averis,

& Door, 2007). Additionally,

 Mathematics Education 9

As a result [of using an interactive whiteboard], teachers were aware of available

techniques and were fluent both in technology use and in flexibly structuring the
lesson ensuring considerable opportunity for pupils to respond to interactive
whiteboard stimuli either as individuals, pairs or groups, enhancing active
learning. The interactive whiteboard was used to prompt discussion, explain
processes, develop hypotheses or structures, and then to test these by varied
application. In mathematics teaching this was demonstrated by the use of simple
movement, colouring, shading and overwriting in teaching about angles at a point
and on a line (Glover, Miller, Averis, & Door, 2007).

The interactive whiteboards versatility is key, as it is applicable in any unit of mathematics at

every level, allowing teachers to effectively engage students through kinesthetic learning

promoted by the interactive whiteboard.

Along with interactive whiteboards, there are several other types of computer software

which can be used to aid students. One in particular that can be extremely effective is Geogebra

(Ways to Use Technology in Math Class, 2013). Geogebra is a computer software that

functions as a graphing calculator with capabilities to help students in statistics, calculus, and

algebra, but where it truly thrives is in the field of geometry. It allows students to create 2D and

3D shapes and manipulate them in many different ways. This helps the students visualize what

they are learning, a very common issue for geometry students. And while these interactive

diagrams the program creates are particularly helpful for basic geometry, they can also be used in

later math classes such as calculus to visualize topics like integration. Geogebra would be a

great tool for every mathematics classroom because it is very interactive and engaging for the

students, and it also aids in the visualization of new problems that many students dont grasp

right away.

Another piece of software that can be used in the classroom to engage students more is

the myScript calculator application. What this does is take students handwriting and calculate
 Mathematics Education 10

answers as a calculator would, but with them having to push each button individually every time.

Instead, when performing calculations, the students may simply write down the expression or

equation they wish to solve using their finger or a stylus on the screen, and then the software

calculates the answer for them. As mentioned earlier, mathematics has begun to be seen as a

boring or isolated subject throughout the United States, and the myScript calculator would be an

excellent tool to combat those feelings. One enormous piece of mathematics in schools is being

proficient in calculator use, as one is expected to carry out all calculations just as they have

planned with no error; however, calculator syntax can often get muddled and confusing, as things

like parenthesis must be placed perfectly in longer equations to be solved. This confusing syntax

often leads to students incorrectly inputting their equations and thus receiving an incorrect

answer, which breeds frustration, as they may have done the problem completely correctly aside

from the calculation. As a result, this promotes the almost robotic feeling that many students

have mentioned, leading to an even stronger dislike of mathematics, as they feel the pressure to

memorize even more information in the form of calculator syntax and strategies (Nardi &

Steward, 2003). Tools like the myScript calculator would allow students to work out problems

by hand, where they are able to see and input exactly what they want without having to worry

about the confusing calculator syntax giving them the wrong answer.

Because of the opportunities to expand both the range of problems introduced and the

level of engagement for students, technologies such as interactive whiteboards and computer

software such as Geogebra should be introduced in every classroom possible. In addition, tools

such as the myScript calculator should be made as accessible as possible, as they can potentially

help alleviate the stress of confusing and somewhat tedious tasks like inputting long equations

into calculators, rather than just solving their handwritten equation.

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Conclusion

Mathematics is recognized as one of the most valuable subjects people study in school

because they know it is imperative that they are proficient in it as an adult (Jones, 2003).

However, despite that, so many students still hate mathematics in general. This is because of

issues in how math is taught in school. It currently breeds hostility and hatred towards the

subject, when we must strive to do the exact opposite. Mathematics education in our country

today is too focused on individuals learning processes which will not fail them and practicing

those processes for hours on end, causing many students to become bored of the subject,

breeding hatred of it as well. Instead, our educators must focus on collaborative and cooperative

teaching styles that allow the students to work and communicate with one another, as well as

more creative problem solving over rote memorization if our next generations are to move

forward in life with sufficient mathematical knowledge to complete essential tasks in their lives,

such as filing taxes. Additionally, teachers should take every opportunity presented to them to

implement new technology, particularly interactive whiteboards and new computer software, in

their lessons. Better educational practices in mathematics will promote more positive attitudes,

which in turn will result in higher achievement, because self-efficacy, accompanying a positive

attitude, affects achievement (Usher, 2009). With the United States struggling as a whole in

mathematics test scores compared to the rest of the world, an improvement in attitude, which in

turn will improve achievement, will have no real negative effects. However, in order for these

improvements to occur, there must be changes with how mathematics is taught in our schools

today. Our current methods are outdated and ineffective, and only an increase in group work and

creative problem solving can fix it.

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