Hold patience and compassion above all. "I'm not a math person", "I'm just bad at math", or worse yet, "I hate math" - unfortunately, these statements have been allowed to pervade throughout our culture, and I have personally heard these words echoed to me many times as a math instructor. This is an internalization of previous challenges with mathematics that have been allowed to fester and be accepted as a part of that student's sense of self. The problem with this fallacy is that it treats a fixable skill gap as a fixed personality trait that fuels anxiety and even shame, which, in turn, fosters avoidance of perceived math topics, further exacerbating that skill gap and stifling growth. 

To correct this hindering belief, we need to establish a strong foundation for growth opportunities. According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, for students (and people in general) to self-actualize and reach their full potential, they must first have their esteem needs met, and for their esteem needs to be met, they must first have their social needs met. To this end, as an instructor, one of my main classroom goals is to foster a sense of social belonging and community, and I go about achieving this using a number of strategies, including: 

• Becoming personable with students by making a point to learn each of their names and little facts that make them who they are, very early on in the course.

  • • While this may seem small, obvious, or even inconsequential, I have found that it yields huge returns on investment in student outcomes and course demeanor, and it also allows me to tailor the subject matter to students' interests.

• Engaging in and moderating respectful conversation and open discussion as a major part of instruction. 

  • • I strive to create a safe space by allowing for respectful, inclusive conversation and discussion of course topics while not tolerating discriminatory language or hate speech. I further build students' confidence by speaking to and calling on them individually during instruction, without pushing them to the point of "clamming up," by maintaining a stance that all questions are low-stakes, and by acting supportively when a student struggles or hesitates. Building students' confidence to participate has the added benefit of helping them fulfill their esteem needs.

• Having students work in groups on activities or instructional games.  

  • • Working in groups provides clear space for student collaboration and a direct, obvious community in which to work. By working to make these group experiences positive and/or fun, students build a sense of camaraderie and support system with one another.

• Being available for student interaction both in and out of class.

  • • When preparing for a class session, I plan to arrive early and stay late. This gives unstructured space for students to ask clarifying questions and engage with me about the course in a familiar setting. I set my office hours to maximize availability: If I'm teaching a course like M166 where a majority of the students have similar schedules, then it's worth asking their schedule and setting my office hours accordingly, or, in more varied settings, simply surveying the class and choosing times that cater to the maximum number of students. In class, I set aside time to actively verify that students are following along and to answer any clarifying questions that may arise, especially as we transition between topics.

As students' social needs are met, I can shift my focus to meeting students' esteem needs. Ultimately, a student saying "I'm not a math person" or "I hate math" is an esteem issue, and we can set the stage for improvement right away bu rephrasing back to the student with healthier language such as "You're just still learning" or "You just don't understand yet" and relaying the fact that it's not the job of a student to know everything and have all of the answers right away. At that point, it is my job as an instructor to meet students where they are and guide them to where they need to be. 

I personally approach instruction in four steps, with subtleties to each: I first plan, then demonstrate, then practice, and then finally evaluate. An essential part of planning a lesson is gathering information about your students to determine their background knowledge; there is no point in lecturing on computing the volume integral of a shape if students don't know what an integral even is. Making the material applicable and aligning it with students' interests in the planning stage helps foster curiosity and encourage exploration. Furthermore, outlining and sharing the plan with your students is integral to providing a framework for students to organize the information for their own understanding. 

Demonstrating content is fairly straightforward and can take many forms; most importantly, it should be interactive and maintain an open dialogue. Additionally, having students recall and recap previously covered topics helps cement knowledge and serves as a reference when students move on to practice. 

Similarly to demonstration, students practicing content can take many forms, but importantly, should be perceived by students as a low-stakes, engaging, and challenging environment, whether it is answering what comes next as I work through a problem on the board or transitioning to working through problems on their own with my support. 

The most misunderstood part of instruction is evaluation: the goal of evaluation should be an opportunity for students to demonstrate their knowledge and highlight areas for improvement while still allowing space to acknowledge students' strengths, to give positive feedback, and to recognize growth and achievement, not to label students or their understanding as "failures". Celebrate even the small wins.

Anyone can learn math. As an instructor, by supporting students socially, bolstering their self-esteem, and challenging limiting mindsets, I create an environment where students can reach their full potential and become the best versions of themselves.

APPLE Upward Bound - Lyon College - Batesville, AR Geometry Tutor & Mentor Summer 2019 - Spring 2020