Math isn't hard, it's just a language | Randy Palisoc | TEDxManhattanBeach

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences.
Randy Palisoc is a passionate educator, known for making math easy. He shares his solution: teach math as a language. Putting words back into math lessons enables even the youngest school-age minds to grasp complex concepts such as fractions.

26% on the nation's report card,

that's the percentage
of U.S. 12th graders

who are proficient in Math.

In America, we pride ourselves
as being an exceptional country.

But does 26% sound exceptional to you?

Raise your hand if you think as a country
we need to do way better than this.

I'm with you.

We all need Math, but why
are so many kids confused by it?

Is it because only 26% of people
are hardwired for Math,

while 74% are not?

After working with thousands of kids,
I can tell you,

this isn't the case at all.

Kids don't understand Math

because we've been teaching it
as a dehumanized subject.

But if we make Math human again,
it will start to make sense again.

You're probably wondering:

"How was Math ever human
in the first place?"

So, think about it.

(Laughter)

Math is a human language,
just like English, Spanish or Chinese,

because it allows people
to communicate with each other.

Even in ancient times,
people needed the language of Math

to conduct trade, to build monuments,

and to measure the land for farming.

This idea of Math as a language
isn't exactly new.

A great philosopher once said:

"The laws of nature are written
in the language of mathematics."

So you see?
Even Galileo agrees with me.

(Laughter)

But somewhere along the line,

we've taken this language of math,

which is about the real world around us,

and we've abstracted it
beyond recognition.

And that's why kids are confused.

Let me show you what I mean.

Read this 3rd grade
California Math Standard

and see if it would make sense
to an eight year-old.

"Understand a fraction 1/b
as the quantity formed by 1 part

when a whole is partitioned
into b equal parts."

Understand the fraction a/b

as the quantity formed
by a parts of size 1/b.

(Laughter)

And if you gave this description
to an 8 year-old,

you'd probably get a reaction...
like this.

(Laughter)

To a Math expert,
this standard makes sense,

But to a kid, it's absolute torture.

I chose this example
specifically because fractions

are fundational to algebra,
trigonometry and even calculus.

So if kids don't understand fractions
in elementary and middle school,

they have a tough road
ahead of them in high-school

But is there a way to make fractions
simple and easy for kids to understand?

Yes!

Just remember that Math is a language
and use that to your advantage.

For example, when I teach 5th graders
how to add and subtract fractions,

I start with the apples + apples lesson.

First I ask,
"What's 1 apple plus 1 apple?"

And kids will often say 2,
which is partially correct.

Have them include the words as well
since math is a language.

So it's not just 2, it's 2 apples.

Next is 3 pencils plus 2 pencils.

You all know that pencils + pencils
give you pencils,

so everyone, how many pencils?

Audience: 5 pencils.

5 pencils is right.

And the key is you included the words.

I tried this lesson
with my 5-year-old niece once.

After she added pencils and pencils,
I asked her,

"What's 4 billion plus 1 billion?"

And my aunt overheard this
and she scolded me and said,

"Are you crazy? She's in kindergarten!

How's she supposed to know
4 billion plus 1 billion?!"

(Laughter)

Undaunted, my niece finishes counting,
looks up and says:

"5 billion?"

And I said:
"That is right, it is 5 billion."

My aunt just shook her head and laughed

because she did not expect that
from a 5-year-old.

But all you have to do
is take a language approach

and Math becomes intuitive
and easy to understand.

Then I asked her a question

that kindergartners
are definitely not supposed to know:

"What's one third plus one third?"

And immediately she answered:
"2 thirds".

So if you're wondering
how could she possibly know that

when she doesn't know about
numerators and denominators yet?

You see, she wasn't thinking
about numerators and denominators.

She thought of the problem this way.

And she used 1 apple + 1 apple
as her analogy

to understand 1 third plus 1 third.

So if even a kidergartner
can add fractions,

you better believe that
every 5th grader can do it as well.

(Applause)

Just for fun, I asked her
a high-school algebra question:

What's 7 x² plus 2 x²?

And this little 5-year-old girl
correctly answered,

9 x².

And she didn't need any exponent rules
to figure that out.

So when people say that we are
either hardwired for math or not,

it's not true.

Math is a human language,

so we all have the ability
to understand it.

(Laughter)

We need to take a language
approach to math urgently

because too many kids are lost
and are anxious about math

and it doesn't have to be that way!

I worked with an angry,
frustrated high-school student once

who couldn't pass algebra

because she only knew 44%
of her multiplication facts.

I told her,

"That's like trying to read
and only knowing 44% of the alphabet.

It's holding you back."

She couldn't factor or solve equations
and she had no confidence in Math.

As a result, this teenager
had no confidence in herself.

I told her,
"We have to start with multiplication

because once you know all your facts
by heart, everything gets easier,

and it'll be like having a fast pass
to every ride of Disneyland."

(Laughter)

What do you think?"

And she said "Ok."

So she systematically learned
her times tables in 4 weeks

and yes, even multiplication
has language embedded in it.

You'd be surprised how many kids
don't realize 7 times 3

can be spelled out as "seven times" 3,

which just means 3 seven times,
just like this.

So when kids see it this way,

they quickly realize
that repeated addition

is slow and inconvenient,

so they gladly memorize
that 3 seven times always gives you 21.

So for this teenager
who was at risk of dropping out,

becoming fluent
and confident in multiplication

was a game changer.

Because for the first time
she could focus on problem solving

instead of counting on her fingers.

I knew she had turned the corner

when she figured out
that a 2-year car lease

at $445 a month
would cost you $10,680

and she looked at me disapprovingly
and said:

"Mr Polisoc, that's expensive!"

(Laughter)

At that moment, math was no longer
causing problems for her,

but she was using math to solve problems
as a responsible adult would.

As an educator, it's my duty
to challenge kids to reach higher,

so I leave you with this challenge.

Our country is stuck at 26% proficiency,

and I challenge you
to push that number higher.

This is important because mathematical
thinking not only builds young minds,

but our kids need it to imagine
and build a future that doesn't yet exist.

Meeting this challenge can be
as simple as apples + apples.

Insist that we teach Math
as a human language

and we will get there sooner,
rather than later.

Thank you!

(Applause)