Building Resiliency and Changing our Beliefs About Math

Posted September 26, 2017

Talking About Mental Health October 2017 – Building Resilience

Resilience is our ability to recover from difficulties and adapt to change; to be able to function as well or better after a challenge. Resilience is an important part of good mental health. We all can develop resilience, and we can help our children and youth develop it as well. The following tips are taken from Resilience Guide for Parents and Teachers, by the American Psychological Association. For more information see:

http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/resilience.aspx

Tips for building resilience:

Make connections Teach your child how to make friends, including the skill of empathy, or feeling another’s pain. Encourage your child to be a friend in order to get friends.
Help your child/youth by having them help others Children and youth who may feel helpless can be empowered by helping others. Engage your child/youth in age-appropriate volunteer work, or ask for assistance yourself with some task that they can master. At school, brainstorm with children about ways they can help others.
Maintain a daily routine Sticking to a routine can be comforting to children, especially younger children who crave structure in their lives. Encourage your child/youth to develop their own routines.
Take a break While it is important to stick to routines, endlessly worrying can be counter-productive. Build regular breaks into school and home routines.
Teach your child/youth self-care Make yourself a good example, and teach your child/youth the importance of making time to eat properly, exercise and rest. Make sure your child/youth has time to have fun.
Move toward goals Teach your child/youth to set reasonable goals and then to move toward them one step at a time. Moving toward that goal — even if it’s a tiny step — and receiving praise for doing so will focus your child/youth on what they have been able to do rather than on what they haven’t done, and can help build resilience.
Nurture a positive self-view Help your child/youth remember ways that they have successfully handled hardships in the past and then help them understand that these past challenges help them build the strength to handle future challenges.
Keep things in perspective and maintain a hopeful outlook Even when your child/youth is facing very painful events, help them look at the situation in a broader context and keep a long-term perspective. An optimistic and positive outlook allows your child/youth to see the good things in life and keep going even in the hardest times.
Look for opportunities for self-discovery Tough times are often the times when children/youth learn the most about themselves. Discuss with your child/youth what they learned after facing a tough situation.
Accept that change is part of living Change often can be scary for children and youth. Help your child see that change is part of life and new goals can replace other goals.

Have a mentally healthy day!

Dr. Lynn Woodford is the Mental Health Lead for Upper Grand District School Board

Follow me on twitter: @drlynnwoodford

Changing Our Beliefs and Attitudes About Math

Myth of the Math Person

Most people believe that math is one of those subjects that you either “get” or you “don’t get.” This way of thinking cannot be further from the truth; there is no such thing as a math person. Everyone can achieve in any subject with hard work, perseverance, and someone to guide them. They key to shattering this myth is developing a growth mindset in our teachers and students, and a math classroom where students are challenged by engaging problems and supported in their learning.

The Evolving Classroom

“The reason so many people think math is the most difficult is the inaccessible way it is often taught.”[1] When we were math students our math teachers often taught us tips, tricks, and recipes for solving math problems. In the math classes of old there was only one correct solution. We could get the answer if we memorized and followed the teacher’s procedure, but if someone asked us the “why” behind our formula,most of us wouldn’t be able to answer.

Today, teachers are striving for students to have a solid grasp of the “why” behind each solution. This often means that students are encouraged to share a variety of methods and strategies to solve a single problem. By sharing different strategies, teachers can help students see the common thread that connects each solution, thus deepening their understanding of the concept being taught. The teacher’s role is no longer to teach procedures, but to help students make connections and understand the mathematical concepts behind the solutions.

Growth Mindset Homework Help Tips

Let your child struggle with math problems.

See if they have the perseverance to work through their struggles. We need to break the math myth that we need fast answers to be good at math.

Never let your child hear you say: “I was never good at math.”

Research studies have shown when parents tell their children they were not good at math, their child’s achievement is immediately affected.[2]

Ask your child if they can solve a math problem in another way.

This shows that your child has multiple strategies at their fingertips and they are flexible with their math thinking.

Ask your child to explain the reasoning behind their response.

“Why did you (add/ subtract/ multiply/ divide)?”
“What does your drawing represent?”

Online Resources

Parents’ Beliefs about Math Change Their Children’s Achievement – https://goo.gl/psL33d

“We now know that the messages we give students can change their performance dramatically, and that students need to know that the adults in their lives believe in them.”

TL Talk: The Gift of Failure – Interview with Jessica Lahey – https://goo.gl/oo7xFc

“Jessica is the author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed.”

How to Learn Math: for Students – https://goo.gl/OCywaf

“How to Learn Math is a free self-paced class for learners of all levels of mathematics. It combines really important information on the brain and learning with new evidence on the best ways to approach and learn math effectively.”

[1] Boaler, Jo. Mathematical Mindsets. Jossey-Bass: 2016, pg 96.

[2] Boaler, J. (n.d.). Parents’ Beliefs about Math Change Their Children’s Achievement. Retrieved September 22, 2016, from https://www.youcubed.org/think-it-up/parents-beliefs-math-change-childrens-achievement/

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