Teaching Math to Students Who Think They Hate Math: An Inquiry-Based Approach

I don’t know about you, but I did not have a lot of confidence growing up when it came to math. As much as I hate to admit it, math was always my least favorite subject in school. Luckily for me, a favorite teacher realized I was able (even if not enthusiastic about math) so he kept working with me and I eventually developed solid math skills.

After many, many years, I know that my ability to overcome my fear of math happened as my excitement and interest about math grew. Do you have students in your classroom who are able but not inspired to do math? According to journalist Jessica Lahey, there are lots of children today who lack interest and; therefore, underperform in math. However, a Cornell professor of Applied Mathematics believes teaching math through the use of an inquiry-based teaching model may change the way that millions of school age students think about math in the future. Professor Steven Strogatz “believes changing from a lecture format, typically used to teach math to liberal arts majors, to a student-led, inquiry-based format” is the best way to engage students in the study of mathematics. I believe this approach is especially interesting because it utilizes the best aspects of student-led, inquiry-based learning: “student investigation and problem solving.” Click here to learn more about Professor Strogatz’s approach to teaching math. tlb

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