The slope formula…the distance formula…the midpoint formula – ARGH!With all those x sub 1s and y sub 2s, these formulas or maybe they’re equations..HMMM…anyway, get all jumbled and misapplied.
As an adjunct Math prof, former engineer and ‘Robin the Math Lady’, I help people to build Math Confidence through metacognitive strategies.
How much does a cheat sheet help? If Math = formulas, then it would indeed be cheating. But problem-solving is so much more. In engineering school, our open book untimed exams with only 3 problems would take 6 or more hours and a ‘C’ would be welcomed with open arms! Some profs allowed just one piece of paper. It took days to craft a crowded cheat sheet chock full of problems (ok, opportunities) with a 0.5mm mechanical pencil. This process helped us know our strengths and weaknesses for maximizing potential on our exams (ok, assessments).
Now as a prof, I encourage homework and classwork on cheat sheets for reference points
so that learners can size up the challenges and tackle them under peak performance conditions (tests). Cheat sheets boost confidence, performance and enjoyment of Math and learning!
2 comments:
I am with you 100%...the goal is to test the students' abilities to size up a problem, formulate a plan for solving it and carry out that plan. Memorizing formulas is NOT the purpose of math. And it is undoubtedly responsible for much of the Math Anxiety that students use as an excuse for doing poorly in math.
Many thanks for your comments, Diane!
Robin
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