Tara Zhan

Dr. Nicole Warwick

Writing109ED, 21Fall

Project 1

Oct. 26th, 2021

Critical Education Narrative

It takes patience and persistence to learn mathematics and most learners fail to
grasp concepts of this discipline because of a lack of these virtues of learning
mathematics. Most students find it hard to learn arithmetic intuitively the way they
learn other subjects. Mathematics takes so much effort to learn. Moreover, one crucial
element that researchers have pondered over regarding its role in the learning of
Mathematics is attitude. The attitude seems to have an indispensable role in learning
this perceived difficult discipline. Literature such as the one written by Mensah,
Okyere & Kuranchie (2013) illustrates the significant role of attitude in studying
Mathematics. The result of the study conducted on this literature indicates the relation
of the teacher's attitude and the students' performance in Mathematics (Mensah, Kyere
& Kuranchie, 2013). This paper will critique an educational experience I had
regarding attitude towards learning Mathematics. Also, the write-up will examine the
experience I had and divulge deeply into my experience to reach a deeper
understanding of my experience. Moreover, one theory will be applied as a means of
analysis, and then my experience will be evaluated to conclude my experience.

I have had my fair share of difficulty in learning Mathematics. However, my

experience of learning Mathematics did not start badly since I loved the subject when
I was in lower primary. I found the subject to be very easy and performed well at it. I
led my classmates in Mathematics in terms of scores. Once I completed elementary
school and went to junior high school, my enmity with this subject started. At the
beginning of my junior high school learning of Arithmetic, I still grasped
Mathematics concepts, and the teacher knew how to dispense knowledge. However,
Mathematics continued to be more complex as I progressed. My attitude towards this
subject fell drastically, and I began to lose interest in this subject. 

To make it worse, the teachers that taught the subject seemed more
disinterested in instilling knowledge as they were focused on completing the syllabus.
The teachers did not explain the Mathematics topics better and failed to engage us
during the Mathematics lesson. I lost interest and began to hate the subject as I found
the teachers boring, the concepts complex and difficult, and the repetitive nature of
calculations least appealing. I had developed a negative attitude towards Mathematics,
and I was not surprised when my grades fell below the pass mark. I was worried that
the subject teacher would reprimand me for failing in this subject, but he seemed to be
least interested in motivating us to do better. It seemed as if the class's dismal average
results in Mathematics were a consequence of the teacher's negative attitude towards
the subject and the student's attitude. The whole class seemed to have failed in this
subject except for a few of us who had passed by slight marks above pass mark. It was
evident that the collective failure was a product of our negative attitude towards
Mathematics. 

I had difficulty in assessing different concepts while there were problems with
consistency. It is clear from my experience in learning Mathematics that attitude plays
a crucial role in loving the subject and performing well. Overall, a positive attitude is
critical for all learning fields since this attitude acts on a person's memory and
learning system that will improve a learner's performance in any particular discipline.
The negative attitude I had towards learning mathematics in my junior high schools
that was later reinforced by the poor teaching practice of my Mathematics teacher,
contributed to my poor performance in the subject. I had a good foundation on this
subject that should have developed to intense interest in this field as I grew up.
However, my high school experience changed all that as it turned sour with the
complexity of mathematics concepts and the inadequate teaching method that the
teacher applied to the discipline. 

Nonetheless, the negative attitude of the teacher had a significant impact on my

disinterest in learning Mathematics. Marroquin (2018) pinpoints that a teacher's
attitude can motivate or hurt students' morale in learning a given subject. A negative
teacher attitude can impair academic progress and increase students' dislike of a
particular subject (Marroquim, 2018). The teacher's lack of proper dissemination of
the topics and adequate preparation in explaining mathematical concepts and his show
of neglect reinforced a negative attitude towards mathematics. Even though my
negative attitude towards mathematics did not set in early in my life, the challenges I
faced later in my highly annihilated my passion for learning arithmetic.

This negative attitude is that I have lost confidence in conducting basic

numerical calculations and lost the relevance and value of mathematics in my life.
Also, I have developed a mathematics phobia, which means I feel anxious whenever I
handle a mathematics problem. Therefore, the negativity towards mathematics is
damaging, increases anxiety and lack of confidence, reluctance to improve one's
numerical skills, and leads to disengagement (National Numeracy, n.d.). The effect of
low numeracy is disastrous as it will lead to avoidance of courses about this
Mathematics field, culminating in the loss of competitiveness and proficiency in the
technical field. My negativity towards Mathematics is the underlying cause of my
failure in this subject.
 The learning experience I had in Mathematics can further be examined through
Dweck's growth mindset theory. The growth mindset theory is focused on the belief
that intelligence and learning can be developed and improved (Dweck, 2015). Also, it
states that when an individual has a positive attitude towards learning and the ability
to progress and achieve, they have a growth mindset. In this case, the converse is true
as my experience indicates a negative attitude towards learning Mathematics which
leads to a negative mindset that declines growth. The right trajectory for me will
involve changing my attitude and adopting this theory to help in improving my
learning experience in the arithmetic discipline. I also contribute my dislike for the
subject to the lack of a clear plan by my instructor and since it was hard this made me
hate the subject. If there were better aids to make the subject easier it would have
been a different story. The teaching was haphazard while the instructor would often
scold at us for not understanding what he considered to be basic concepts in class. I
can manage to change my attitude when I engage in the right behaviors that will
stimulate my brain and develop new connections. Besides, I can attain and display the
necessary behaviors adequate for change in attitude by possessing the growth mindset
and hold a belief in the potential that I have to improve my Mathematical skills.

Moreover, Tes Editorial (2019) emphasizes that teachers should develop the
proper habits to sustain the growth mindset. The teacher, in my case, was terrible at
motivating students to study and gain interest in the subject. What the teacher needs to
do to inspire confidence and enforce a growth mindset on students involves
approaching them with the belief that students can improve their performance.
Although the performance on mathematics is quite dismal in our class, the effort of
the teacher to build confidence demands he should have high expectations of pupils
and show high resilience towards challenges that teaching mathematics presents.
Besides, the teacher should share the neuroscience behind the growth mindset with
students to demonstrate that a positive attitude towards learning mathematics is
achievable and scientifically proven to improve performance (Tes Editorial, 2019).
The teacher should also teach multiple strategies for tackling mathematics problems
and working out answers. In turn, the students will find several ways to tackle
mathematics problems and have greater resilience in tackling these challenges
(Dweck, 2017).

In conclusion, mathematics is a complex subject that requires students to have a

positive attitude to perform well. Therefore, my performance going forward can
improve only when I change my attitude and adopt a growth mindset that will allow
me to believe that I can achieve higher performance in the discipline. My road for
maximizing the learning of Mathematics requires that I have a strong belief in my
capacity to handle this subject adequately and my perceived abilities on the possibility
of attaining this milestone. Subsequently, the mathematics teacher needs to inspire
confidence on confidence since his attitude has adversely affected the overall
performance of students in mathematics. Changing his attitude involves altering his
teaching approach and encouraging students that change is possible and achieving
good grades is a realistic goal. With this in mind, the whole attitude towards learning
mathematics can be transformed and results altered for the best.

References

Digitale, E. (2018). A positive attitude toward math predicts math achievement in

kids. Retrieved 17 October 2021, from https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-
news/2018/01/positive-attitude-toward-math-predicts-math-achievement-in-
kids.html#:~:text=A%20positive%20attitude%20toward%20math%20boosts
%20the%20brain%E2%80%99s,attitude%20toward%20math%20performed
%20better%20in%20the%20subject.

Dweck, C. (2015). Carol Dweck revisits the growth mindset. Education Week, 35(5),

20-24.

Dweck, C. (2017). Mindset-updated edition: Changing the way you think to fulfill

your potential. Hachette UK.

Marroquin, B. (2018). The Negative Attitudes of Teachers' Impact on Students.

Retrieved 17 October 2021, from https://www.theclassroom.com/negative-
attitudes-teachers-8648637.html

Mensah, J. K., Okyere, M., & Kuranchie, A. (2013). Student attitude towards
mathematics and performance: Does the teacher attitude matter. Journal of
education and practice, 4(3), 132-139.

National Numeracy, (n.d.). Attitude Towards Maths.  Retrieved 18 October 2021, from

https://www.nationalnumeracy.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/attitudes_t
owards_maths/attitudes_towards_maths_-_updated_branding.pdf#:~:text=The
%20impact%20of%20negativity%20towards%20maths%20Negative
%20attitudes,and%20a%20reluctance%20to%20try%20to%20improve
%20skills.
Tes Editorial, (2019). Pedagogy Focus: A growth mindset. Retrieved 18 October
2021, from https://www.tes.com/news/pedagogy-focus-growth-mindset