Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Writing109ED, 21Fall
Project 1
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.
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.
It is clear from my experience in learning Mathematics that attitude plays a crucial
role in loving the subject and performing well. According to Digitale (2018), a
positive attitude towards math forecasts good performance and interest in learning
Mathematics. Furthermore, Digitale provides scientific evidence that proves that a
positive attitude about mathematics improves the learning experience of this subject
(Digitale, 2018). Attitude is essential since higher scores in this discipline only occur
to students who show more interest in the subject and perceive themselves to be better
at it. Even if a student has a high Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and favorable
confounding factors for Mathematics, a positive attitude will still be required to
record a more robust performance in Mathematics (Digitale, 2018). 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.
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.
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.
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.