Everyone Needs Math:

My views on education, mathematics, math education and coaching

Updated: 2/1/03

Last but not least, I see the community and parents as playing a vital role in education. They are essential to a student’s achievement. If students fail to have a strong role model at home, I take on that role, especially since today’s "typical family" is anything but typical. I want to be friendly, but I must avoid ‘making friends." We are developing young men and women here and we must instill in them ideas of integrity, character, drive, sharing, self-respect, love, and competition. Many of these are intangible, but necessary nonetheless.

There are some things mathematically that I feel are essential to ‘know.’ These include concepts that are traditionally learned in elementary school such as simple arithmetic. Tied with these ideas are fraction simplification, common multiples, and simplifying a ratio. These fundamentals are necessary when a student begins algebra-related topics and must be mastered prior to this. If they are not, accommodations must be made so that this student can still progress, but I will expect no less in performance from such a student.

Along these lines falls the idea of practical applications. Students need to feel as though what they are learning can be used to tackle real world problems. One example is estimation: Many students don’t realize its application until they start planning a wedding or have a baby and need to estimate their financial needs. Math is not problems and formulas–it is a toolbox that can be referred to whenever it is needed, and it will probably be opened on a daily basis.

I value a student’s thinking process, but not necessarily a strict ‘proof with reasons’ format. As long as a student can justify their thinking process and show me that they are on the right track, then that is sufficient. Higher levels of math such as calculus may need more formal proofs in order to understand the information and those students who intend on persuing post-secondary education requiring any type of math will need to refine their thinking skills to be successful in that venue.

Finally, I feel as though mathematics is for everyone. As was stated earlier, not a day goes by without everyone seeing some type of math. This means that all of us require some type of mathematical knowledge. Mathematics needs to be seen as something useful and appealing, not as a something to be feared, hated, and endured. Students need to be shown what math can do and be given the chance to explore its boundless opportunities.

My classroom will be very active. I will encourage students to ask questions, interact with each other and try hands-on activities. There will be rules and structure that will be established early, but the students will be allowed to grow and develop within this structure. I feel as though you can always start strict and then ease up, but if you start as a pushover, you can never get that respect back.

Technology has a prominent place within my classes and will be used as a tool, not a reward for only the privileged few. All students deserve equitable time with technology, which does not always mean equal time.

Computers in the classroom allow me to replicate things in the classroom that might be unaffordable or time consuming to actually do. They also provide an excellent resource through the use of the Internet and its mounds of information that help level the field of learning. Computers can help put certain math concepts and ideas onto the screen in ways that are impossible by simply using chalkboards. There is a plethora of mathematical web sites and software that can help drive home math ideas and motivate learning.

Another vital aspect to math education is the use of calculators. All students need to have exposure to calculators on more than a superficial basis. It would be ideal that all students have a similar calculator so that we as a class can explore its capabilities, which may require a classroom set or a school recommended calculator. I see their use as a tool to better understand a concept or to help bypass simple things that I know the students can do in order to get to the topic at hand. One example is using a graphing calculator in calculus to study the aspects of a graph, not to learn how to graph the function. Calculators should not be a substitute for basic arithmetic unless that student has a specific learning disability that would constitute this type of use.

Learning in my math classroom is my number one goal. I want to give students strategies for solving problems and provide them with tools, not just problems and answers. Grading will reflect these goals. I will have set requirements, but these will not always be answer related, the process is just as, if not more, important to learning. If my students are learning and progressing, they will receive passing grades. These grades will be based on the rubrics I provide the students and the quality of their work in relation to the requirements.

Finally, I believe that there is more to math than the math textbook. Math encompasses science, English, reading, and about every other subject imaginable. There are games that involve math, songs that teach math, writing projects that includes math as well as many other projects that may seem out of place in the math classroom. Exploring all of these ideas will help to make math seem more relevant and enjoyable. It will also help reinforce why I see math as being for everyone.

The difference between being a coach and being a teacher can sometimes be hard to distinguish, but there is a definite difference between the two. When it comes to coaching, things are going to get done, for the most part, the way a coach wants. In the coach’s mind, the means to the team’s ends can only take one path and it is the coach’s job to see that the players follow that path. The coach is there to instruct exactly how things should be done and how he or she feels it would be most effective. This does not mean that you can’t make adaptations or offer alternatives, but the coach’s ideas need to be seen as the best for the team. The way to learn what the coach wants is determined by the coach and what he or she does in practice.

A coach will show a technique and encourage you to use that technique all the time. If you don’t follow that technique, the coach will find a player who does and use them instead of you. The goal is not to discourage, but rather to encourage you to improve and adapt. Once you begin to master that technique and use it effectively, the coach will begin to look towards you again.

In contrast to this, a teacher must realize that students learn in different ways and at different rates. Many students would be lost if the teacher acted in the manner of a coach. A teacher must provide standard information, but the means to the ends takes a different path for everyone since each student gets there differently. Coaches are more focused on one specific path that is the most beneficial to the most players and requires them to do things the coach’s way, not their own.

As a coach at the high school level and below, I feel that there is no substitute for basics. Without mastery of the basics, the extraordinary plays will not be possible. Players at this level can never get too much work at the basics. From this solid base we can then move on to more complicated plays and exercises, but we will always draw upon these basics in everything we do. My teams will always be fundamentally sound and understanding of how to play the game within the rules and with good sportsmanship in mind.

I am a firm believer that offense wins games, but defense wins championships. You can have an offensive machine that runs up the score, but unless you can stop your opponent, your efforts to score have been in vain. A baseball game can be won by a single run, a basketball game by a single point, a football game by a single score, but you must have defense to stop the opponent. Very few people teach defense, because everyone wants to be known for offense. I want my players to be respected for their stingy defense.

Finally, I believe in playing those people who have earned the right to be on the team. These players are team players that have worked hard, had a positive attitude, and have decided to do whatever it takes to benefit the team. I believe that seniority has some weight, but so does hard work, desire, and ability. I want players who are there because they want to play, compete, and try to win. I do no want someone who was forced to play, who feels he or she doesn’t have to work for their position, or those players who are looking for individual glory. My team will play as a team and will bring respect to their school through hard work, desire, and sportsmanship. This will be evident both on and off the field, as these athletes become a representation of our school and community, something that we all are a part of.

Coaching requires work. You must learn to separate your teaching and your coaching, keeping in mind that these athletes are students first, athletes second. No grades, no plays. I also must remember to see each student athlete as an individual. Someone who is book-smart may not be sport-smart, or vice versa. I must not assume too much or expect too little. This is where the difficulty lies, but that is why I am the coach. I am the figurehead for the team and must provide leadership for the team. Without good leadership, our team will fail and the team will break apart.