5 Reasons Your Students Still Can’t Do Math (Even Though You Taught It 1,000 Times)

We've all been there. We carefully crafted a lesson, taught the concepts over and over, but when we check in the next day? It's like you're speaking a different language! How could they not remember this?! Didn't we go over it 7,395 times?!

Let's talk about why that is, and what you can do about it. Here are 5 reasons your students still can't do math... even when you taught it 1,000 times.

1. You're not using enough objects.

Besides the fact that kids neeeeed to keep their hands busy, there's a reason objects are important in math. Teachers are all to happy to teach in numbers, symbols, and words. But for many kids, that's not creating a deep understanding of the content.

If you're a teacher, you've probably heard of multiple intelligences. There are many ways students can learn well, but it's not always through looking at a bunch of symbols or even a picture. Some students need to touch the math. The sensory feedback from their fingers tips touching Base-10 blocks is much more effective at processing place value than words or a picture.

Use more objects in your classroom!

2. You're focused on what you're teaching, not what your students are learning.

We forget what it's like to be a kid when we're lesson planning. At the same time, we also forget what it's like to learn something new. When you're planning your lessons, you might think you're giving your students plenty of opportunity to take in the content. But keep in mind that even adults need to be exposed to new information at least 7 times before they remember it.

Think about your students. If they have a learning disability, they might need to be exposed to the content 10 or 50 or 100 times! Consider how your students are exposed to content during your lessons. Are they sitting passively while you talk? Working with their hands? Using "math talk" with a partner?

Rather than reflecting on your teaching, walk through your lesson plans in your students' shoes. Make sure they have 7 chances to be exposed to the lesson objective... and not just passively!

3. You're not giving enough repetition.

Remember, the average person needs to be exposed to new information 7 times before they can remember it. See what I did there? In your math class, you even want students to go beyond memorization. You want them to have a deep understanding of the content so they can apply it in multiple contexts.

This means your students will need to practice the skill over and over again. (How many times? At least 7. Are you starting to remember?) Think of their opportunities for repetition like exercising a muscle. If you want to build muscle in your arms, you're not just going to do one strength exercise. You're going to do reps with multiple exercises to engage the muscles in different ways, over and over again.

Like building muscle, your students need to exercise their math skills with multiple different exercises.

4. You're not teaching to their interests.

Think about yourself as a learner. If your district expects you to take a professional development course that's of no interest or relevance to you, how much are you going to learn? What if your district let you choose the training you would take, and it was something you were really passionate about? That's the difference between an engaged learner & a disengaged learner.

But it's math! How can I teach to their interests? Let's get creative here. How often do you use math on a daily basis, even in interesting ways? Do you eye that box of pasta at the end of the week to determine whether you need a new one? Do you tell yourself "halfway there!" during a long workout? That's math, and you're using it in a way that matters to you in that moment.

Teaching to student interests isn't just about teaching to their passions. It's about connecting the lesson with the world around them so they can understand why the content matters.

5. You're not solving their "big" problems.

Imagine that you're on your way to work and your car starts making an alarming noise. Clunk. Glug. Spudder. Uh oh. You manage to get the car to a repair shop, and a coworker gets you to work, albeit 20 minutes late. You've run out of time to set your classroom up for the day, and now the repair shop is saying it's going to be $1,000 to fix your car.

How focused are you during your department meeting? Did any information stick in your brain? Or were you so focused on your car repair that you couldn't pay attention?

Now imagine you're a vulnerable child experiencing life, from small problems to big crises. Do you think their minds are focused on math?

Now, you might be wondering how you can go about solving this problem...

You can't.

But what you can do is know when math needs to take a back seat. Validate your student's feelings, give them space, and if it's appropriate, gently redirect them back towards the content.

Thanks for reading!

I hope this article made you feel a little more prepared for the upcoming school year. Happy teaching!