Math isn't hard, it's just a language | Randy Palisoc | TEDxManhattanBeach
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0:14 - 0:1826% on the nation's report card,
-
0:18 - 0:21that's the percentage
of U.S. 12th graders -
0:21 - 0:24who are proficient in Math.
-
0:24 - 0:28In America, we pride ourselves
as being an exceptional country. -
0:28 - 0:32But does 26% sound exceptional to you?
-
0:33 - 0:37Raise your hand if you think as a country
we need to do way better than this. -
0:38 - 0:41I'm with you.
-
0:41 - 0:44We all need Math, but why
are so many kids confused by it? -
0:45 - 0:48Is it because only 26% of people
are hardwired for Math, -
0:48 - 0:52while 74% are not?
-
0:52 - 0:55After working with thousands of kids,
I can tell you, -
0:55 - 0:57this isn't the case at all.
-
0:57 - 0:59Kids don't understand Math
-
0:59 - 1:03because we've been teaching it
as a dehumanized subject. -
1:03 - 1:07But if we make Math human again,
it will start to make sense again. -
1:08 - 1:10You're probably wondering:
-
1:10 - 1:12"How was Math ever human
in the first place?" -
1:12 - 1:14So, think about it.
-
1:14 - 1:15(Laughter)
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1:15 - 1:20Math is a human language,
just like English, Spanish or Chinese, -
1:20 - 1:23because it allows people
to communicate with each other. -
1:23 - 1:27Even in ancient times,
people needed the language of Math -
1:27 - 1:30to conduct trade, to build monuments,
-
1:30 - 1:33and to measure the land for farming.
-
1:33 - 1:36This idea of Math as a language
isn't exactly new. -
1:37 - 1:39A great philosopher once said:
-
1:40 - 1:44"The laws of nature are written
in the language of mathematics." -
1:44 - 1:48So you see?
Even Galileo agrees with me. -
1:48 - 1:49(Laughter)
-
1:49 - 1:51But somewhere along the line,
-
1:51 - 1:53we've taken this language of math,
-
1:53 - 1:55which is about the real world around us,
-
1:55 - 1:57and we've abstracted it
beyond recognition. -
1:57 - 1:59And that's why kids are confused.
-
1:59 - 2:02Let me show you what I mean.
-
2:02 - 2:06Read this 3rd grade
California Math Standard -
2:06 - 2:09and see if it would make sense
to an eight year-old. -
2:09 - 2:13"Understand a fraction 1/b
as the quantity formed by 1 part -
2:13 - 2:16when a whole is partitioned
into b equal parts." -
2:16 - 2:19Understand the fraction a/b
-
2:19 - 2:22as the quantity formed
by a parts of size 1/b. -
2:22 - 2:24(Laughter)
-
2:24 - 2:27And if you gave this description
to an 8 year-old, -
2:27 - 2:30you'd probably get a reaction...
like this. -
2:30 - 2:34(Laughter)
-
2:34 - 2:38To a Math expert,
this standard makes sense, -
2:38 - 2:43But to a kid, it's absolute torture.
-
2:43 - 2:45I chose this example
specifically because fractions -
2:45 - 2:50are fundational to algebra,
trigonometry and even calculus. -
2:50 - 2:54So if kids don't understand fractions
in elementary and middle school, -
2:54 - 2:57they have a tough road
ahead of them in high-school -
2:57 - 3:04But is there a way to make fractions
simple and easy for kids to understand? -
3:04 - 3:05Yes!
-
3:05 - 3:09Just remember that Math is a language
and use that to your advantage. -
3:10 - 3:14For example, when I teach 5th graders
how to add and subtract fractions, -
3:14 - 3:17I start with the apples + apples lesson.
-
3:17 - 3:21First I ask,
"What's 1 apple plus 1 apple?" -
3:21 - 3:24And kids will often say 2,
which is partially correct. -
3:25 - 3:28Have them include the words as well
since math is a language. -
3:28 - 3:32So it's not just 2, it's 2 apples.
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3:32 - 3:36Next is 3 pencils plus 2 pencils.
-
3:36 - 3:39You all know that pencils + pencils
give you pencils, -
3:39 - 3:41so everyone, how many pencils?
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3:41 - 3:43Audience: 5 pencils.
-
3:43 - 3:455 pencils is right.
-
3:45 - 3:48And the key is you included the words.
-
3:48 - 3:51I tried this lesson
with my 5-year-old niece once. -
3:51 - 3:54After she added pencils and pencils,
I asked her, -
3:54 - 3:58"What's 4 billion plus 1 billion?"
-
3:58 - 4:02And my aunt overheard this
and she scolded me and said, -
4:02 - 4:04"Are you crazy? She's in kindergarten!
-
4:04 - 4:08How's she supposed to know
4 billion plus 1 billion?!" -
4:08 - 4:09(Laughter)
-
4:09 - 4:13Undaunted, my niece finishes counting,
looks up and says: -
4:13 - 4:14"5 billion?"
-
4:14 - 4:19And I said:
"That is right, it is 5 billion." -
4:19 - 4:21My aunt just shook her head and laughed
-
4:21 - 4:23because she did not expect that
from a 5-year-old. -
4:23 - 4:26But all you have to do
is take a language approach -
4:26 - 4:29and Math becomes intuitive
and easy to understand. -
4:30 - 4:32Then I asked her a question
-
4:32 - 4:36that kindergartners
are definitely not supposed to know: -
4:36 - 4:39"What's one third plus one third?"
-
4:39 - 4:42And immediately she answered:
"2 thirds". -
4:42 - 4:47So if you're wondering
how could she possibly know that -
4:47 - 4:50when she doesn't know about
numerators and denominators yet? -
4:50 - 4:54You see, she wasn't thinking
about numerators and denominators. -
4:54 - 4:57She thought of the problem this way.
-
4:57 - 5:01And she used 1 apple + 1 apple
as her analogy -
5:01 - 5:05to understand 1 third plus 1 third.
-
5:05 - 5:08So if even a kidergartner
can add fractions, -
5:08 - 5:12you better believe that
every 5th grader can do it as well. -
5:12 - 5:19(Applause)
-
5:19 - 5:23Just for fun, I asked her
a high-school algebra question: -
5:23 - 5:27What's 7 x² plus 2 x²?
-
5:27 - 5:30And this little 5-year-old girl
correctly answered, -
5:30 - 5:329 x².
-
5:32 - 5:37And she didn't need any exponent rules
to figure that out. -
5:37 - 5:41So when people say that we are
either hardwired for math or not, -
5:41 - 5:42it's not true.
-
5:42 - 5:45Math is a human language,
-
5:45 - 5:48so we all have the ability
to understand it. -
5:48 - 5:52(Laughter)
-
5:52 - 5:54We need to take a language
approach to math urgently -
5:54 - 5:58because too many kids are lost
and are anxious about math -
5:58 - 6:00and it doesn't have to be that way!
-
6:00 - 6:04I worked with an angry,
frustrated high-school student once -
6:04 - 6:06who couldn't pass algebra
-
6:06 - 6:10because she only knew 44%
of her multiplication facts. -
6:10 - 6:12I told her,
-
6:12 - 6:17"That's like trying to read
and only knowing 44% of the alphabet. -
6:17 - 6:18It's holding you back."
-
6:18 - 6:24She couldn't factor or solve equations
and she had no confidence in Math. -
6:24 - 6:28As a result, this teenager
had no confidence in herself. -
6:28 - 6:32I told her,
"We have to start with multiplication -
6:32 - 6:35because once you know all your facts
by heart, everything gets easier, -
6:35 - 6:39and it'll be like having a fast pass
to every ride of Disneyland." -
6:39 - 6:40(Laughter)
-
6:40 - 6:41What do you think?"
-
6:41 - 6:43And she said "Ok."
-
6:43 - 6:48So she systematically learned
her times tables in 4 weeks -
6:48 - 6:52and yes, even multiplication
has language embedded in it. -
6:52 - 6:57You'd be surprised how many kids
don't realize 7 times 3 -
6:57 - 7:01can be spelled out as "seven times" 3,
-
7:01 - 7:05which just means 3 seven times,
just like this. -
7:05 - 7:08So when kids see it this way,
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7:08 - 7:12they quickly realize
that repeated addition -
7:12 - 7:15is slow and inconvenient,
-
7:15 - 7:20so they gladly memorize
that 3 seven times always gives you 21. -
7:21 - 7:25So for this teenager
who was at risk of dropping out, -
7:25 - 7:28becoming fluent
and confident in multiplication -
7:28 - 7:30was a game changer.
-
7:30 - 7:34Because for the first time
she could focus on problem solving -
7:34 - 7:37instead of counting on her fingers.
-
7:37 - 7:39I knew she had turned the corner
-
7:39 - 7:42when she figured out
that a 2-year car lease -
7:42 - 7:48at $445 a month
would cost you $10,680 -
7:49 - 7:51and she looked at me disapprovingly
and said: -
7:51 - 7:54"Mr Polisoc, that's expensive!"
-
7:54 - 7:58(Laughter)
-
7:58 - 8:03At that moment, math was no longer
causing problems for her, -
8:03 - 8:09but she was using math to solve problems
as a responsible adult would. -
8:09 - 8:14As an educator, it's my duty
to challenge kids to reach higher, -
8:14 - 8:18so I leave you with this challenge.
-
8:18 - 8:23Our country is stuck at 26% proficiency,
-
8:23 - 8:26and I challenge you
to push that number higher. -
8:26 - 8:31This is important because mathematical
thinking not only builds young minds, -
8:31 - 8:37but our kids need it to imagine
and build a future that doesn't yet exist. -
8:37 - 8:43Meeting this challenge can be
as simple as apples + apples. -
8:43 - 8:46Insist that we teach Math
as a human language -
8:46 - 8:50and we will get there sooner,
rather than later. -
8:50 - 8:51Thank you!
-
8:51 - 8:53(Applause)
- Title:
- Math isn't hard, it's just a language | Randy Palisoc | TEDxManhattanBeach
- Description:
-
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. - Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 08:55
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Ariana Bleau Lugo edited English subtitles for Math isn't hard, it's just a language | Randy Palisoc | TEDxManhattanBeach | ||
Ariana Bleau Lugo edited English subtitles for Math isn't hard, it's just a language | Randy Palisoc | TEDxManhattanBeach | ||
Ariana Bleau Lugo edited English subtitles for Math isn't hard, it's just a language | Randy Palisoc | TEDxManhattanBeach |