Part 2 of x: Edison’s Dictionary of math learning words.
Let’s get clear on what these ‘learning words’ mean.
Tues March 19 News in MailBag: So long Mim, welcome Edison’s Math School. Not an easy decision to let Mim go, but I connected the dots and could see what was coming.
Edison’s Math School will replace Mim’s Thursday spot, starting today (Part 2 of x: Edison’s Dictionary of … is below). Go here to see the seven math articles I’ve already written in Math by Edison and copied to this Math School section.
With Edison’s Math school now becoming a twice-monthly occurrence
I thought I would start by offering ‘Edison’s Dictionary’ of math learning words, as you need to know how to learn, right? I’ll explain key math learning words and talk about how to learn… which for some reason, never gets talked about at school ☹, and shouldn’t you know how to learn if … well … if you’re going to ‘learn’ math.
Foundations
are the easiest part of any math question or concept. Think of them as 5 pillars that help you do better, The Fantastical 5: 1) Meaning of Math words, 2) Meaning of Math Symbols, 3) Easy Question, 4) Doing that easy Question and 5) Picture of that Question. When you know your foundations, you’re ready for any math 😊!
1. Math Words
Why are knowing the meaning of math Words important (e.g., Add, Expression, Solve)? Math is a language just like English or French, and knowing the meanings of math words means you can ‘speak math.’ When you speak math, you understand the words your teacher says and writes and know what homework, quiz, and test words mean 😊.
❓ DID YOU KNOW that the number one reason students find Word Problems impossible is that they don’t know what the math words mean? It makes sense, as … math words are a language, right?
2. Math Symbols
Why are knowing the meaning of math Symbols important (e.g. +, 2x+3, 2x+3=5)? Symbols are a shorter way to write a math word or its meaning. For example, the symbol ‘+’ is called add or plus, and both mean ‘put together and count.’ So, Symbols are basically a quicker way to do math. Math Symbols are the second language that exists in math.
❓ DID YOU KNOW that knowing the meaning of Symbols gives you a clue to a second way to answer the question?
3. Math Pictures
Why are math Pictures important? Because you can do many questions with a picture, and pics are the easiest way to do math. Why? Pictures are much closer to what we ‘see’ every day in real life, so it’s more relatable. Pictures are the third language in math!
❓ DID YOU KNOW that the meaning of math Words and Symbols give you clues to help with building a Picture: e.g. For the question, Evaluate 2 x 3 (two times three), the symbol x means groups of, which means the Picture of 2 x 3 will be 2 groups of 3?
⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜ … which gives six, 6, seis, six (French - yes 6 in French is the same as in English).
How do Words, Symbols, and Pictures work together?
You have to know three different languages, so you’re always ‘translating’ back and forth between them (like Thank you to Adios to Merci).
> Here’s a word (Divide): What’s the Symbol or Picture?
> Or here’s a Symbol ( / ): What’s the Picture and Word?
Translating is how you make a Word Problem easier, as you change the words to Symbols or to a Picture.
4. How to learn?
Use the 5 steps of The Learning 5!!!!!
1️⃣ Have a clear objective/goal in your math course.
2️⃣ Be motivated to achieve that objective.
3️⃣ Understand* the steps to reach the objective.
4️⃣ Reinforce and Repeat the understanding steps again and again (aka the reps) until they become easy (doing homework** is meant to achieve this).
5️⃣ Feedback from your result of a math quiz or test, or not understanding the homework, tells you where you’re weak and what you have to tweak to move closer to your goal.❓ DID YOU KNOW - the proof that you’ve learned math is that you Remember how to do it? And can repeat it in different situations.
❓ DID YOU KNOW - to learn anything, and I mean everything, you’re always doing The Learning 5?
❓ DID YOU KNOW that math teachers go to school (aka university) to learn how to teach, but students never get taught how to learn in school? Hmm …
**The purpose of math homework is not 'to practice’. The purpose is to remember it!
5. *How to understand math (step 3 of The Learning 5)?
I have not written and articles specifically on understanding math yet, but I don’t understand my teacher, is a good place to start, then follow these two steps:
1st Know all parts of The Fantastical 5
2nd Do repetitions/reps on those Fantastical 5 to get them into your long-term memory. Achieve that, and
✔ Math makes sense 😊
✔ You understand the why 😊😊
✔ You’ll remember it 😊😊😊
6. Memorization means?
You’re memorizing! Yeah, I know … that’s a pretty weak definition. Note to self - Memorizing, along with understanding, added to the to-do list of math articles to write.
Memorizing means can do math quickly!
And you can do it quickly because you’re skipping steps and taking shortcuts 😐. But skipping steps of course means, that you’ll forget it ☹ because you did not understand it (point 5. above). Quick to do, quick to forget is the rule!
Quick to do, quick to forget is the rule!
❓ How do you memorize? Same way you create a habit - do it again and again and again.
❓ Why do you forget what you memorize? Weak in one of The Fantastical 5 – most likely understanding and/or not enough reps.
❓ DID YOU KNOW that to remember the meaning of math words, you have to memorize them, which means reps, reps, reps … until the meaning goes into your long-term memory?
5. & 6. Knowing both Understanding and Memorizing
makes you a much better student. How, why? Exactly!
1️⃣ Memorizing is quick (skips steps), Understanding is slow (doesn’t skip steps).
2️⃣ Memorizing tells you how to do it, Understanding tells you why you do it.
3️⃣ Memorizing gives you 1-way to do the question, Understanding gives you a second-way (in case you forgot the first way 😊).
7. Habits meaning?
A habit is any action you automatically take w/o much thought. It’s a part of who you are, part of your character. A positive habit ➕ pulls and pushes you CLOSER to your objective/goal. A negative habit ➖ pulls and pushes you further AWAY from your goal. How do you create habits? The same way you memorize! Repeat the same task over and over and over again (reps, reps, and more reps 💪) until it becomes part of you!
❓ DID YOU KNOW what most students remember about that Habits 01 article? That doing nothing leads to a habit. Yikes, who would have thought that when you’re doing nothing you’re actually ‘achieving’ something. Yikes again!
… when you’re doing nothing you’re actually ‘achieving’ something.
Use the above SEVEN 7️⃣ learning words with your math job to have them become a habit … a part of who you are, your character. Why? Well obviously, those 7️⃣ are going to help you learn math better AND whatever other task/skill/endeavour you plan to learn in the future 👩🎓👨🎓🚵♂️👨🍳👨✈️👩🚀👨🚒. Learning, it turns out … is a transferable skill 👩💻.
Learning, it turns out … is a transferable skill.
I’ll see you in Part 3 of x: for more Edison’s Dictionary of math learning words.
How’s the learning going partner?
Edison
Edison’s Math School
… teaching you how to learn