Mar '23-Apr '24: A 13-month recap of Math by Edison 📝

... this is hard, I don’t understand, how to learn ...

Check out April 29 MailBag for admin stuff, and what’s coming up.

13-month recap of Math by Edison:

This last article of April 2024 acts as a transition point in the Math by Edison journey and the completion of what I said I would do when I started 13 months ago, in March 2023 – write learning strategies to use when the usual isn’t working (e.g. work harder, practice more versus very specific steps to follow). That was followed by talking about the importance of knowing How to learn (and questioning why that was not taught in schools), Money is Math (Mim) and Message to Teachers.

A shift from cold and frank to being a tad more chill … and fun 😊:

May 2024 marks the start of a move from serious and frank articles to less serious and a tad more fun 😎🤩 - for the reader to read and listen to and I to write and voice. In May, Math by Edison moves to two articles a month (written and/or voice) and this shift will allow me to re-focus on learning strategies, and a key part is the introduction of ‘The strategy guy’. The overwhelming outlier feedback in the 3-Question survey was to speak more (do audio, voice, podcast, prefer someone speaking in my ear vs reading an article)) …, and I’ve noticed that I can have more ‘fun’ while speaking.

Do what you say you’re going to do:

As well for April 2024, I said I would write a minimum of 8 articles, and I will (do what you say you will do is a key part of making creating habits a habit). This is article #7 and tonight it’s #8 (Month 4 of 12 of the I write funny New Year’s Resolution).

Today, I finish with a topic that I’ve written about on countless occasions,

How to learn (math is hard, understand)As . someone that’s been conscious of How I learn for a lifetime, plus teaching math students How to learn for 50% of that time it has become crystal-clear that understanding How to learn, leads to better math learners; of course! When a child is taught at an early age how to learn, it gives them tools to prepare themselves for the world ahead. Success or any setback becomes an understandable part of being human - a setback isn’t personal, it’s just the world saying, “you didn’t learn that well, you didn’t understand’. And of course, it then has any learner understand why they’re not learning or improving or understanding or remembering or forgetting or struggling or succeeding or achieving …, and for a math student that know-how makes the world of difference in the short and long term.

So as Math by Edison moves into a new chapter,

I thank you for being a part of these last 13 months, look forward to the next stage, BUT at the same time take this to heart, How to learn - learning new things, tasks, hobbies, subjects, endeavours make us different than our animal friends – we are forever learning.

To solve a problem, any problem requires learning (called problem solving).
To overcome an obstacle requires knowing how to learn to overcome obstacles.
To give up less requires learning why we give up and how to persevere more.
To get better at something, anything, everything, requires learning.

And again, unlike our animal cousins, they don’t strive each day to learn something new or be better at a new task or set goals for tomorrow. We humans, do.

To learn from your mistakes, requires … you guessed it,

knowing how to learn! As it’s impossible to learn from mistakes if you don’t know how to learn. I know obvious … but frustration is guaranteed to set in quicker when the learner doesn’t understand the process of learning. A setback that leads to self-talk of “you didn’t do that well” becomes feedback of “you didn’t learn that well!” One points the index finger outwards, the other inwards. Inwards takes responsibility.

I’ll finish with this question:

Given a ‘choice’ between saying, “Math is hard’ versus “I don’t understand” which would you choose?

There’s a distinction as ‘Math is hard’ conveys to oneself that I cannot do this, whereas ‘I don’t understand’ offers a solution. Math is hard brings negative self-talk, I don’t understand leads to “How do I understand.” They each affect a student’s character as one pulls you down, the other starts to lift you up.

Next time you’re faced with a challenge, don’t say, This is hard, say, I don’t understand.
This is hard closes a door, I don’t understand keeps the door open.
This is hard says there is no solution, I don’t understand knows there’s a solution … but ... “I/we just need to understand first.”
This is hard …. [I am sure you can come up with another two].

I don’t think that in the desire to get a ‘man on the moon’ or invent a cure for a disease or virus, or solve a world problem or solve any problem, this is hard is part of the brain-storming session! NO! It can’t be as this is hard is not a possible solution when learning.

Thank you all. I will see you in May when strategies, and fun 😄 and I write funny 😀😁 and audio 📢, and the strategy guy, take center stage.

Edison
The strateGY GuY 🔀
Math by Edison, Edison’s Math School and Quick Steps.