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Unit 2: Factors That Influence Confidence in Math

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Recap and Look Ahead

As you learned in the previous unit, low confidence in math is an issue that many students, and people in general, struggle with. Rather than accepting it, this course aims to not only gain awareness of it, but provide you with tools to change this in your class. In this unit, you will learn about different factors that impact the confidence of students in math.


Objectives

By the end of Unit 2, participants will be able to:

• Show their understanding of the importance of confidence in math by writing in their reflective journal given the link provided, answering each bullet point in the instructions.

• Demonstrate an understanding of the factors that influence confidence in math by posting an article regarding this along with a response in the discussion board, adhering to each bullet point in the instructions.

Reflect

To begin this unit, first write in your reflective journal. Answer the following question:

Reflect on the importance of confidence in math that you just learned.

What do you think influences confidence in math?


https://classroom.google.com/c/MTAxMjMyMTEzNDA4

Class Code: ps2pxvk

Growth Mindset

What is a Growth Mindset?

When the confidence of students is low, they tend to have a fixed mindset. In this mindset, “they believe that their basic abilities- their intelligence and their talents- are fixed traits” (MINDSETS: HOW TO MOTIVATE STUDENTS (AND YOURSELF), 2012, p. 17). This is detrimental because it makes progress seem unachievable, which makes their confidence low and crushes the motivation to try. To counteract this, teachers can adapt instruction by teaching the growth mindset, which is the belief that “abilities can be developed through learning, perseverance, and good mentoring” (MINDSETS: HOW TO MOTIVATE STUDENTS (AND YOURSELF), 2012, p. 17). The growth mindset focuses on progress and effort rather than ability.

How does it help?

The growth mindset is beneficial in increasing confidence because it focuses on something students can control: effort. When students have a growth mindset, “they rebound more easily from negative feedback and failure.” (American Psychological Association, Coalition for Psychology in Schools and Education, 2015, p.6). The ability to come back from failure more easily is beneficial for their confidence.

When the growth mindset is taught to students, “their motivation changes and their grades increase” (MINDSETS: HOW TO MOTIVATE STUDENTS (AND YOURSELF), 2012, p. 17). When grades aren’t the focus, they increase, which also boosts confidence.

Read this article to learn more about the growth mindset:

http://mindsetscholarsnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/What-We-Know-About-Growth-Mindset.pdf

Positive Learning Environment

Why is the learning environment important for confidence in math?

Since it is so common to be labeled as “good at math” or “a math person”, when learning math might not come as easily to some people, their confidence is low. When confidence is low, participating in class can be a challenge. The learning environment can play a large role in this. A student with low confidence in math might refrain from speaking due to fear of judgment from peers. This can further hinder their confidence, for they avoid risk taking, asking questions, etc., which hinders growth. Students then become stuck in the same space, feeling a lack of confidence and a fear of math.

Due to this, creating a community where students feel safe and respected is imperative. Bielaczyc and Collins state that “Students need to learn to respect other students’ contributions and differences, and to feel safe in speaking up and giving their own ideas” (Bielaczyc & Collins, 1999, p. 287). When students do not have to worry about what their peers might think when they ask/answer a question, they are able to put more focus on the material they are learning rather than what everyone thinks. Students will feel more confident to participate if they feel they are in a safe environment. This approach is important for students to feel safe. It fosters the ability to gain confidence, which is crucial.

Not only is it important to create a safe environment to increase confidence, but incorporating various methods and avenues of learning will help students as well. All students learn differently, so they could lose confidence if material is not presented in a way they understand. While it is not possible to differentiate every lesson to the needs of every student, it is important to have a good idea of what your students need in order to succeed. As Bielaczyc and Collins stated, “The teacher must be sensitive to the needs, interests, and abilities of the individual students. The goals therefore should reflect what the students know and help them build on both their strengths and weaknesses” (Bielaczyc & Collins, 1999, p. 286). Understanding prior knowledge of your students, learning preferences, interests, etc. is helpful, for all of these factors contribute to how a student understands information. Ignoring these factors can impact their understanding, which can lower their confidence. Creating an environment that not only incorporates, but celebrates, the different ways in which people learn is key in helping students gain confidence.

Feedback

How does feedback impact confidence?

The way in which feedback is given to students can impact their confidence, and thus influence their learning. Since they have various level of confidence, recognizing that and responding accordingly is important. Students that are confident and correct in their answers “will spend little time analyzing feedback, and verification feedback is sufficient” (Mayer & Alexander, 2017, p. 295). When students are sure of their answer but they got it wrong, “elaborate information in feedback is useful to the learner, who will spend more time reviewing feedback” (Mayer & Alexander, 2017, p. 295). And finally, those who are uncertain of the answer and lack confidence “would more likely to benefit from feedback that acts as a new instruction” (Mayer & Alexander, 2017, p. 295). Being able to adapt feedback depending on the understanding of the students and their confidence is important, for some methods are better received based on it. Mayer and Alexander (2017) further explained this idea when they stated “A major key to unlocking the power of feedback is to ensure the cues are responsive to the task performed and that any provision of these cues considers the situational and personality attributes of the receiver” (p. 296). This statement includes taking confidence into consideration. The goal is to make students not fear being incorrect, but to be confident in asking for direction on how to improve their understanding. According to Mayer and Alexander (2017), “The climate of the class is critical, particularly when there is high trust and a climate in which being wrong is seen as a positive part of the learning, and thence feedback can be sought when a student does not attain a goal” (p. 316). Changing the negative connotation associated with being wrong can help students get to the point where they are confident and do not fear feedback, but instead request it.

Activity

Now that you have a few ideas about factors that influence confidence in math, you are going to do a little investigating. Research and find an article on what impacts confidence in math. It can be an article that looks more into the factors already listed, or it can be something new that you found.

Discuss

Along with sharing the article in the discussion board:

• Write your reaction to the information you found in it.

• Does this apply to students in your class?

• Read the posts, as well as the articles, of two other classmates and respond to them.


https://classroom.google.com/c/MTAxMjMyMTEzNDA4

Class Code: ps2pxvk


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Continue to Next Unit: Unit 3: Strategies to Implement to Boost Confidence in Math

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