Mathematics is Not About Sharing Discrete Success
Only until recently, through continual conversations with Mary Kemper, a Distinguished Apple Educator/PK-12 Director of Mathematics in Coppell, Texas did it really dawn on me what is really absent in mathematics.
I thought my last article dealt it. It did…but I realize now it fell short.
We are not recording failure.
We are not giving failure the proportional space compared to success — which is such a small part of the mathematical experience.
I am actually exhausted by success! Social media is awash in solutions, strategies, and math books that examine this endpoint in learning mathematics. By having such a perverse and skewed emphasis on measuring the value of mathematics on just final understanding and correctness, the narrative of mathematics shifts dramatically away from a complete and honest story to one that only publishes heavily edited books that have a happy ending.
The Answer.
And, we are collectively guilty of only giving the spotlight to this. Sure, we talk about the importance of struggle and failure. But, we don’t show it and share it with the same passion — and that starts with us.
Failure and Success in mathematics isn’t like some 50/50 split. Failure is the landscape of mathematics. Success are the trees
Failure is the restaurant kitchen in mathematics. Success are the neatly plated dishes.
Failure is the library in mathematics. Success is a small section on the 2nd floor.
Failure is only sexy if it is paired with Success. On its own, it is seen as an ugly scar.
I believe that the root of math anxiety lies with this distortion, and the treatment of failure as the understudy in the play of mathematics, when it is clearly the leading actor. Always has been.
As my discussions with Mary Kemper have alluded to, the journey/story of students and teachers must contain everything — the initial reaction to a problem, the doing, the not doing, the frustration, the realizations, etc.
AND, we should share the whole experience even if a particular problem ends in irresolution — the most common endpoint in mathematics.
Math education, like it or not, is in the selling business. And, for reasons which are tied to the unhealthy pursuit of success, we only like to sell fruits and vegetables which are perfect, neatly packaged. No bruising. No discoloration.
We are outdoing each other for the best solutions/ideas for success. Everything is concentrated in this narrow domain. We all love being able to solve a problem and show/share our solutions. But, I think math education will go a longer way if we share our misconceptions, misunderstanding, and missteps as well.
The currency of mathematics is based on the whole experience of immersion of wonder and mystery. Most of mathematics will remain a mystery for all of us. If math education was a magician, it would be the one that told all its secrets at the end of the show.
In the end, we want our students and teachers to have a deeper understanding of mathematics. But, part of that depth is realizing that understanding is a destination — and getting lost will be half the fun!
We might sometimes not get there, so getting lost will/should be all the fun…
Welcome to mathematics.
It’s okay not to figure out stuff the first time…or the second time…or the third time…or even ever sometimes. The constant pressure to know and understand in a small time period is not only false, it is patently unhealthy.
We put so much pressure on our students and teachers to find these trees…that we miss the fact that we are in forest of beautiful failure.
I just want my kids doing mathematics. I just want my kids playing with mathematics — fumbling around, mulling, poking, prodding, etc. I am not putting them on a clock, and I am certainly not putting them on a clock to understand — ie. use your fingers/toes for as long as you like!
If we have to formalize it, then so be it — giving students and teachers permission to fail. Not sure why we have to give permission to something that is inextricably and organically woven into learning mathematics.
Failing is the common story of mathematics. We need everyone sharing their most magnificent stories of failure. Let’s give time and space to that shall we…:)
