Lesson 3: Being Truthful with Your Students
Chances are the answer to the question "when am I ever going to use this specific math topic?" will often be never depending on the student. We as teachers don't know what each and every one of our students will grow up to be and at the middle/high school level neither do most of them. Some of our students may change their major two or three times in college or go into a completely different career field once they graduate from college. This is why students are required to take a certain amount of classes in math, science, social studies, English, and other core classes. This allows students to be exposed to a variety of courses, some will pique their interest while others may not. This way, when students do realize what career field they want to go in to they will have a background of all subject areas, including the one(s) which will be most beneficial to the career they choose. It is important that we as educators are honest with our students and that we tell them that there is a chance they will never use what we are teaching them right then and there ever again, but that it will be beneficial to their futures.
Watch the following video which explains the importance of being truthful with students.
Now some students may not buy into the idea that we teach them a little bit of everything so that way they are prepared for what ever career they choose. This might call for a different approach of explaining this to them. I like to use a sports related example to put this idea into familiar terms, but for students who are not into sports other analogies may be used. I like to ask my students if they have ever seen a football player doing jumping jacks while warming up? Most students entertain my question and they typically respond with yes. Then I ask them do football players do jumping jacks in a football game? This usually causes the class to laugh and they respond with of course not. Then I explain how the football players do jumping jacks as an exercise to get their bodies ready for the game. Where as in math, we are doing all of these different examples and learning about different topics that may never be used in students' future careers, but they will however gain better problem solving skills and critical thinking skills which will prepare them for the career they choose. For the students who do go into a career field in mathematics they will have formulas and problem solving strategies in their tool kit to help them expand their knowledge of mathematics.
Watch the following videos which explain similar analogies you can use in the classroom when having this conversation with your students.
When you have finished watching the videos you may move on to Lesson 1: Sample Problems in Unit 2
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