'Why are you sweating?'

I asked all 140 of my eighth-grade students to divide 10 by 2. Just eight of them wrote down 5.

I knew my students would need remedial work, but I had no idea it would be to this extent. One of the first standards for eighth-grade physical science is manipulating this equation: speed equals distance divided by time (S = D/T).  This is a foundation for upper-level skills in physical science.  Next come velocity, acceleration, and gravity.  I knew that many of my eighth-grade students would have trouble converting fractions into decimals, but I never fathomed that 10 divided by 2 would give so many of them trouble.

They made comments such as, “Mr. Chapman, this is science class, not math class.  I hate math.”   Almost half of the first periodic assessment given in November will be based on division, multiplication, and addition to solve for a scientific term.  Division remedial work was a must.

That was a week and a half ago. I am thrilled today that almost all of my students can divide and convert fractions to decimals (based on a test).  I am scheduling one-on-one tutoring with the other students to ensure that they will be able to do so, too. I realized that what they needed was a recipe, something to follow every time so that it was systematic.  I was kind of intimidated that we would get so far behind in the actual physical science material that we wouldn’t be at the level necessary to take the first periodic assessment offered by the state, but now we can move on and explore these advanced areas.  Now we can devote time to interpreting graphs, reviewing slope, and discussing how to graph speed. 

My students sometimes laugh at how excited I get in class when they master a  skill:  “Mr. Chapman, you’re crazy!” and “Mister, why are you sweating so much?”  I constantly remind them of how brilliant they are and that I am amazed at their growth. “Even if you don’t like science, it doesn’t matter; what matters is that you’ll be good at it,” I tell them. Just using the future tense instead of the conditional solidifies our work together.

-- Lance Chapman  

Comments

[Ray]

Ouch.

[Larry Woods]

A blog both frightening and inspiring. It is horrible, the extent to which students can get away with not knowing the absolute basics of a subject. The fundamentals of algebra are at the heart of practically any job. Whether you are a cashier, an engineer a soldier or a nurse, if you don't know basic math, you may be a liability to your employer and a potential risk to your customers.

[adinasi]

Why am I not surprised? When both teachers and parents neither demand, expect, or create the environment for students to achieve RIGHT ANSWERS even in mathematics this abysmal lack of knowledge and skill is the sad outcome. Your students will appreciate your concern and effort even more when they're in HS, and you will be the standard against which they will judge all future math/science teachers. As an 8th grade mathematics teacher I've always had a parade of students sharing their critique of their HS math teachers with me, which I hope means I set a standard for them. I would like to think their future teachers are as committed as I, but for too many of them they aren't, which leads to the problem you're suffering with your students.

[Dick Harriff]

For many years I taught a required course in statistics to economic majors at San Diego State University and on the skills inventory test I gave on the first days of class less than 25% of my students could divide (3/4) by (1/2) without a calculator. This is a class that students were expected to have completed by their second year but most were taking it in the last semester of their senior year.

[Warner Todd Huston]

I am glad that you are taking the time to teach these kids correctly. I ahve but one small problem with your blog post.

You said the following:

"I constantly remind them of how brilliant they are and that I am amazed at their growth."

I find this reminding them of "how brilliant" they are is absurd. If they can't even divide 10 in half they are NOT "brilliant." To so pump up their self esteem is an empty paean to PCism and it damages them. If they are not up to level they need to be told they are not up to level.

If they are already "brilliant" why would they need to learn anything?

Stop with the empty game-saying. TEACH them, don't pander to them.

[Barbara Moore]

I am an elementary school teacher and am slightly offended at your post. Perhaps you did not mean to convey what I perceived, but there seems to be a hint of "what are those teachers teaching?" There is also some arrogance on your part. If your 8th grade students did not know the basic concept of division, i.e. divide 10 by 2....that indicates some serious learning disability. There is no way in a week and a half, they could make immense progress and understand the process to change fractions to decimals. You did not introduce and teach that concept to them. What you were doing was reviewing and helping them to access that information which had been tucked away somewhere in their brain, previously planted by a teacher from prior years. Please give credit to your fellow professionals!

[allen]

So let's see. 8 divided by 140 equals approximately 6%. Only 6% of the eighth graders can divide 10 by 2. Then it took you only a week and a half to teach how to divide and convert fractions to decimals. This would usually be taught in third grade.

The big question is - What did these students do for an entire school year in seventh grade? Is anybody keeping track of what is going on at this school? Are teachers being observed and evaluated? Are principals being evaluated? If this is typical of LAUSD middle schools, and I suspect it is, a thorough investigation should be launched. This should be done by an outside agency, not in house.

No wonder this school district is in trouble.

[allen]

Let's see. 8 divided by140 = approximately 6%. Only 6% of your eighth graders could do a simple division problem that is usually taught in third grade.

The good news is that you taught them to divide and convert fractions into decimals within a week and a half. The big question is - What did those students do in math during the entire seventh grade year? Are teachers observed and evaluated? Are principals evaluated? Unfortunately this problem may illustrate a systemic problem in the LAUSD middle schools. Is anybody questioning such pervasive failures?

The schools need to be evaluated by an outside agency and those in charge need to be held accountable.

Somebody should be sweating.

[Jack Carey]

Keep up your hard work, Lance. You are fighting for things that are good and right and fair.
Jack

[Brandon Peterson]

Lance,

You're taking a tough task head-on and it sounds like you're having success! No matter what other people may say on here, positively reinforcing your students (reminding them of how brilliant they are) is a MUST. A lot of them are already being told by others about their deficiencies and, by doing so, are setting low expectations. Setting high expectations and providing some positive feedback when they're moving in the right direction makes all the difference!

I look forward to reading more of your posts!

[Brandon Peterson]

Lance,

You're taking a tough task head-on and it sounds like you're having success! No matter what other people may say on here, positively reinforcing your students (reminding them of how brilliant they are) is a MUST. A lot of them are already being told by others about their deficiencies and, by doing so, are setting low expectations. Setting high expectations and providing some positive feedback when they're moving in the right direction makes all the difference!

I look forward to reading more of your posts!

[sean]

Lets not mix up what kids can do and what they are willing to do. I suspect Barbara was right. They knew 10 / 2 = 5, they just didn't want to say. Or more likely they didn't want to pay attention, get out a pencil, figure out what you wanted them to do, stop to think about the answer, then risk being exposed as too smart or too stupid by showing their honest response. It sounds like Lance did a good job getting them over that initial reluctance to show what they know, but don't think that 8th graders can't do basic arithmetic with round numbers.

The real problem is that students develop self defeating ways of resisting the schools that are set up against them. In terms of social reproduction, Gompers is not a failing school, it is doing extremely well at its mission: create an underclass of individuals that believe they deserve to be poor because they didn't try harder in school. And that's an issue much more serious than just math skills.