Preparing for a soccer game or event is a lot of work, but it's completed a little at a time. We prepare for a large event or an important game by mastering individual skills in parts and then putting them together. As we grow in our skills we continue to review the basics while building on that foundation. When we warm up for a game, we don't strain our muscles. We remind our body what it is able to do. Likewise, warming our brains up for a challenging year of learning ahead shouldn't strain our brain.
What's the lesson here? Don't expect your brain to jump into advanced Algebra or Precalculus without warming up. We know that our bodies will be hurt if we try to slam dunk a basketball without first stretching our muscles and running, why do we expect our minds to ignore math for three months and then walk right into the advanced technique like we haven't been neglecting it?
Oftentimes our students sit down to do an assignment, fail to understand, get frustrated, and quit. It may not look like they quit. They may still be sitting in their chair, but the lies start and then they decide that they can't do it. Once you decide that you can't do something. You can't do it. It's that simple. Children and adults alike need to remember that they've had many successes doing difficult things in order to believe that they can continue to do difficult things. However, even with this history, the temptation to quit when things get hard is still here. We can help our children proactively prepare for that temptation even as the preparation weakens the temptation's power. How do we do that?
have you ever tried reading Shakespeare? Amanda, here at Scio, has taught many students to enjoy Shakespeare's plays and a consistent pattern arises in each class: Students struggle with the language, until act 3. In act 3, something clicks and they begin to understand the meaning. Basically, they treated act 1 and 2 as warmups. We need to warmup our brains.
How do we warmup our brain for a great year of math learning?
- Review basic math concepts in August - once per week, grab the homework from the prealgebra review class (even if he's a precalc student, it'll be easy. That's okay. warmups are supposed to be easy)
- Read some mathematicians (Pascal or Ray's arithmetic or even Euclid)
- Watch some math videos on youtube(sounds boring, I know. but it's fast)
- Drill those math facts (xtramath.org is a great place to do this quickly)
- Do some math activities (like doubling fractions for a recipe, use a tape measure, or discover the algebra on the framing square)
Some math programs contain weeks of review, which is tedious for most students. Others contain no review, which is frustrating for most students. What's a parent to do? Insist on taking time that last two weeks of August to prepare your hearts and minds for another year of learning. Read a hard book. Review some math. Reinstate a routine.