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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. Researchers are learning that students' ideas about their ability and potential are extremely important, much more than previously understood. As well as the messages we give students about their potential, brain research is now showing that messages students pick up from their parents about math and their parents' relationships with math can also change students' math learning and achievement.

In an important study researchers found that when mothers told their daughters they were not good at math in school, their daughter's achievement declined almost immediately (Eccles & Jacobs, 1986). In a new study neuroscientists Erin Maloney and colleagues found that parents' math anxiety reduced their children's learning of math across grades 1 and 2, but only if parents helped their children on math homework (Maloney, Ramirez, Gunderson, Levine, & Beilock, 2015) If they did not help them on homework, the parents' math anxiety did not detract from their children's learning.

The parents' math knowledge did not turn out to have any impact, only their level of math anxiety.

Both studies, again, communicate the importance of the messages students receive, as it was not math knowledge that harmed the students' performance but the parents' anxiety. We do not know what parents with math anxiety say to their children but it is likely they communicate the negative messages we know to be harmful, such as "math is hard" or "I was never good at math in school." It is critical that when parents interact with children about math they communicate positive messages, saying that math is exciting and it is an open subject that anyone can learn with hard work, that it is not about being "smart" or not and that math is all around us in the world. For more parental advice on ways to help students with math see the parent page.

Teachers also need to give positive messages to students at all times. Many elementary teachers feel anxious about mathematics, usually because they themselves have been given fixed and stereotyped messages about the subject and their potential. When I taught in my online teacher/parent class that mathematics is a multidimensional subject that everyone can learn, many of the elementary teachers who took it described it as life-changing and approached mathematics differently afterward. Around 85% of elementary teachers in the United States are women, and Beilock, Gunderson, Ramirez, & Levine (2009) found something very interesting and important. The researchers found that the levels of anxiety held by women elementary teachers also predicted the achievement of the girls in their classes, but not the boys (Beilock et al., 2009). Girls look up to their female teachers and identify with them at the same time as teachers are often and sadly conveying the idea that math is hard for them or they are just not a "math person." Many teachers try to be comforting and sympathetic about math, telling girls not to worry, that they can do well in other subjects. We now know such messages are extremely damaging.

Teachers and parents need to replace sympathetic messages such as "Don't worry, math isn't your thing" with positive messages such as "You can do this, I believe in you, math is an open, beautiful subject that is all about effort and hard work."

This article contains excerpts from Jo Boaler's new book, Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students' Potential Through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages and Innovative Teaching
References

Beilock, L. S., Gunderson, E. A., Ramirez, G., & Levine, S. C. (2009). Female teachers' math anxiety affects girls' math achievement. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(5), 1860-1863.

Boaler, J. (2015). Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students' Potential Through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages and Innovative Teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Eccles, J., & Jacobs, J. (1986). Social forces shape math attitudes and performance. Signs, 11(2), 367-380.

Maloney, E. A., Ramirez, G., Gunderson, E. A., Levine, S. C., & Beilock, S. L. (2015). Intergenerational effects of parents' math anxiety on children's math achievement and anxiety. Psychological Science, 0956797615592630.

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. Researchers are learning that students' ideas about their ability and potential are extremely important, much more than previously understood. As well as the messages we give students about their potential, brain research is now showing that messages students pick up from their parents about math and their parents' relationships with math can also change students' math learning and achievement.

In an important study researchers found that when mothers told their daughters they were not good at math in school, their daughter's achievement declined almost immediately (Eccles & Jacobs, 1986). In a new study neuroscientists Erin Maloney and colleagues found that parents' math anxiety reduced their children's learning of math across grades 1 and 2, but only if parents helped their children on math homework (Maloney, Ramirez, Gunderson, Levine, & Beilock, 2015) If they did not help them on homework, the parents' math anxiety did not detract from their children's learning.

The parents' math knowledge did not turn out to have any impact, only their level of math anxiety.

Both studies, again, communicate the importance of the messages students receive, as it was not math knowledge that harmed the students' performance but the parents' anxiety. We do not know what parents with math anxiety say to their children but it is likely they communicate the negative messages we know to be harmful, such as "math is hard" or "I was never good at math in school." It is critical that when parents interact with children about math they communicate positive messages, saying that math is exciting and it is an open subject that anyone can learn with hard work, that it is not about being "smart" or not and that math is all around us in the world. For more parental advice on ways to help students with math see the parent page.

Teachers also need to give positive messages to students at all times. Many elementary teachers feel anxious about mathematics, usually because they themselves have been given fixed and stereotyped messages about the subject and their potential. When I taught in my online teacher/parent class that mathematics is a multidimensional subject that everyone can learn, many of the elementary teachers who took it described it as life-changing and approached mathematics differently afterward. Around 85% of elementary teachers in the United States are women, and Beilock, Gunderson, Ramirez, & Levine (2009) found something very interesting and important. The researchers found that the levels of anxiety held by women elementary teachers also predicted the achievement of the girls in their classes, but not the boys (Beilock et al., 2009). Girls look up to their female teachers and identify with them at the same time as teachers are often and sadly conveying the idea that math is hard for them or they are just not a "math person." Many teachers try to be comforting and sympathetic about math, telling girls not to worry, that they can do well in other subjects. We now know such messages are extremely damaging.

Teachers and parents need to replace sympathetic messages such as "Don't worry, math isn't your thing" with positive messages such as "You can do this, I believe in you, math is an open, beautiful subject that is all about effort and hard work."

This article contains excerpts from Jo Boaler's new book, Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students' Potential Through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages and Innovative Teaching
References

Beilock, L. S., Gunderson, E. A., Ramirez, G., & Levine, S. C. (2009). Female teachers' math anxiety affects girls' math achievement. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(5), 1860-1863.

Boaler, J. (2015). Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students' Potential Through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages and Innovative Teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Eccles, J., & Jacobs, J. (1986). Social forces shape math attitudes and performance. Signs, 11(2), 367-380.

Maloney, E. A., Ramirez, G., Gunderson, E. A., Levine, S. C., & Beilock, S. L. (2015). Intergenerational effects of parents' math anxiety on children's math achievement and anxiety. Psychological Science, 0956797615592630.

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Parents' Beliefs about Math Change Their Children's Achievement - YouCubed

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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. Researchers are learning that students' ideas about their ability and potential are extremely important, much more than previously understood.

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Spatial Awareness and Location [Sample Learning Experiences]

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Can you find a reliable strategy for choosing coordinates that will locate the treasure in the minimum number of guesses?

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Use the coordiante plane to graph and reflect your shape

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This is a simple tool that will add a grid overlay to any image. This can be great for drawing if you want to break a larger image up into smaller portions. Use a larger grid size and thickness if the image is large and not rendering correctly.

Select the image format from the dropdown to save an exact copy of the image in the window to your device.

I built this tool to add a grid to an image file and kept it super basic. If anyone has some additional requirements they would like added to this tool to make it more useful, please let me know and I will see what I can get done. I am not an artist, so I am not sure what people might use this for. For me, it was a simple case of adding some squares to an image so I could break up the contents of the picture to make it easier to draw the same image on paper. Hopefully this tool is as useful for you as it was for me.

Suggest a New Tool! - If anyone has the need for a free and handy online tool like this one, feel free to reach out and It may be something I can build and add to this site, please let me know using this contact form.

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Add Grid To An Image File - Online Tool - Yo Motherboard

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This is a simple tool that will add a grid overlay to any image. This can be great for drawing if you want to break a larger image up into smaller portions. Use a larger grid size and thickness if the image is large and not rendering correctly.

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Navigating Play in A Redeveloped Curriculum: A Primary Inspector’s Perspective

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This activity focuses on similarities and differences between shapes.

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Sorting 3D Shapes on a Venn Diagram - Mathsframe

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This tool allows you to create any geometric shape imaginable. Squares, triangles, rhombi, trapezoids and hexagons can be created, colored, enlarged, shrunk, rotated, reflected, sliced, and glued together.

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This tool allows you to manipulate various geometric solids and investigate their properties.

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View all five webinar recordings on developing mathematical thinking

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PMC - Oide - Welcome to the Primary Mathematics Curriculum Hub

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Welcome to our PMC in Action page, where you have a front row seat to witness the incredible learning experiences of pupils from various school contexts across Ireland.

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These activities are part of our Primary collections, which are problems grouped by topic.

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Open Middle offers interactive math problems designed to foster critical thinking. Explore unique challenges that boost problem-solving skills and creativity.

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Google Area & Distance Calculator Map | Measure Distance Area on Google map

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Measure distance or area on Google map, distance calculator, measure acreage & land size on Google map

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The term "growth mindset" comes from the groundbreaking work of Carol Dweck. She identified everyone holds ideas about their own potential. Some people believe that their intelligence is more or less fixed and in math - that you can do math or you can't. About 40% of students have these damaging "fixed mindset" ideas. Another 40% have a "growth mindset" - they believe that they can learn anything and that their intelligence can grow. The other 20% waver between the two mindsets.

Students with a fixed mindset are those who are more likely to give up easily, whereas students with a growth mindset are those who keep going even when work is hard, and who are persistent. The two mindsets are associated with different achievement pathways as the papers on this page show. It is possible to change mindsets - my student online class which can be accessed under courses - has been shown to shift students' mindsets from fixed to growth and cause higher mathematics achievement. There are a range of resources on this page - a poster of math norms, a strategizer card with lots of teaching ideas, a short video to boost students' mindset, and some interesting short papers.

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The term "growth mindset" comes from the groundbreaking work of Carol Dweck. She identified everyone holds ideas about their own potential. Some people believe that their intelligence is more or less fixed and in math - that you can do math or you can't. About 40% of students have these damaging "fixed mindset" ideas.

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Jo Boaler: When you Believe in Students They Do Better

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Jo Boaler: When you Believe in Students They Do Better