Teaching Character in Math Classes

Source: http://valuesblog.blogspot.com/

I've received several e-mails from educators regarding how to teach character in a Math class. One specifically asked for lessons that tie together character with Math. But every way I imagine tying the two together seamlessly appears rather artificial; e.g., lessons from the lives of great mathematicians, or integrating a moral into a math word problem.

Example Word Problem:

Problem: Henry was dating Sally. He was also cheating on Sally with Jane. How many girlfriends does Henry have now?

Answer: None. Sally and Jane found out about each other and talked.

Moral? Cheating gets you into trouble.

Hmmm...so maybe this relational triangle could somehow connect to

geometry!

Rather, I think the best way I've seen to integrate character and math was modeled for me by Dr. William Craig, one of my graduate school professors. In a "History of Philosophy" class, the brilliant professor (two earned Ph.D.'s) would devote 3 to 5 minutes at the beginning of class to a sort of real-life moment. One day, he started class with something like this:

"You know, you can make A's in my class, while flunking in real life. I remember a time when I was struggling with balancing studies with my marriage. I was working on my Ph.D. in Philosophy at the University of

Munich, Germany. The academic load was overwhelming me. But my teacher pulled me aside and advised me, 'Look around you. People around here with Ph.D.'s are a dime a dozen. But how many people do you see who have a really great marriage? Whatever the cost, don't neglect your relationship with your wife.' It really put things in perspective for me."

Well, that was 25 years ago, and I'm not sure how much today I remember from the history of philosophy. But I'll never forget that simple life story from a teacher who cared as much about my life as about my passing his class.

My advice for leading a Math class? Introduce what you're doing by saying,

"Class, I've been thinking...if I teach so wonderfully that all of you pass

my class with A's and B's, but you flunk out in life, I've not done much to help you. The infamous Unabomber, who killed people by sending them bombs in the mail, was gifted at Math, having taught Math at a respected university. He made "A's" in Math, but flunked out in life, ending up in prison.

For what it's worth, I'd like to devote a couple of minutes at the first of class (or on Monday of each week) to discuss some life lessons I've either learned or am in the process of learning. I'm not saying I'm the perfect model of these things, but I've come to realize that often my character has meant more to my success than whether I made an "A" or a "C" in a class."

Then, either tell a story from your life about how you learned the

importance of telling the truth, not cheating, caring about others,

diligence, etc.; or, tell the story of another person whom you respect. (I've got over 100 of such stories, which I call "Intercom Insights," categorized by character trait, with discussion questions, in our members' section.) Even if you use the story of another person, I'd try to tie it in to your personal life as well. Students like to know where you stand on

issues.

Of course, much character develop comes from how teachers respect students in class, how they deal with discipline issues, and how they treat students fairly, creating a culture of caring in the class, no matter what subject is being taught. Welcoming student input into the teaching process ("Tell me personally when you think I'm either unfair or teaching poorly.") shows respect for students' opinions and helps prepare them to get customer feedback when they later run a business.

Alternate Introduction to Character

In introducing character to a Math class, here's another introduction that a teacher could use:

"Mastering this class and making "A's" won't guarantee your success. Studies by the Carnegie Institute of Technology found that "even in such technical lines as engineering, about 15 percent of one's financial success is due to one's technical knowledge and about 85 percent is due to skill in human engineering -to personality and the ability to lead people." (How to Win Friends and Influence People, p. xiv)

Discussion: Does this mean that Math isn't important? (No. You wouldn't get the engineering job without doing well at Math.) What does it mean? (You need to know more than Math to be successful.)

With this introduction, you understand why I'll occasionally share a life story or lead a discussion on a character trait or relational issue. In addition to becoming better students, I hope we become better people."

Posted by J. Steve Miller at 6:48 AM 0 comments

Raising a Responsible Child

Why Children Will Not Complete Routine Tasks

© Connie Newbauer
Dec 26, 2006

Do you have to tell your five-year-old or eight-year-old every morning that their face should be washed and their bed should be made? YES!

You’re a good parent. You’ve taken the time to patiently explain what must be done for proper hygiene each morning, how to dress and how to find the emergency bowl of cereal – then why can’t little Elizabeth complete these tasks on her own yet!

There are several reasons children cannot complete what adults see as easy, routine tasks necessary for everyday independence, some are physical and some, just like any routine in life, take multiple explanations and practice sessions to sink in and become the status-quo.

As incomprehensive as it may seem to adults, there are days in which a five-year-old cannot not physically manipulate the buttons on her shirt or zip her jeans or skirt. Other days, she may be just fine. Once a child is physically mature and their small motor skills have completed development, such tasks will not be a hurdle, but until then, patience is the answer – along with a helping hand, not a scolding when a little extra help is needed!

Hygiene seems to be another learning curve for parents to take. If you've instructed the average adult to get up in the morning, wash their face or shower, brush their teeth, comb their hair, get dressed and make their bed, there would be few, if any problems. Telling a five – or eight year old to do this and then even showing them, may not be enough to accomplish these tasks on a daily basis at first.

Even going through all the motions with them once, making sure everything they need to complete these tasks are stored at their level may not be enough. What can you do to make sure the routine is completed each morning?

At child’s eye level, paste a chart (with pictures for younger learners), with expected tasks.
Give a gentle reminder each morning, when you wake them, what you need them to do. Encourage them to check their progress off on the chart. In that way, they will have a visual indication of their accomplishment.

When they next appear, ask them if they have completed (brushing their teeth, washing their face and hands, making their beds, etc.) their tasks.

Before she leaves for the day, say you’d like to see what a beautiful job she did and accompany her to her room to check the bed and to the bathroom if they seem to need “extra help this morning” brushing teeth or washing face and hands. If so, help without demeaning the way they've completed the task prior to your checking their progress.

If a task has been done, such as the bed has been made, but is not up to your expectations, stop and make sure you're not expecting the bed to look as if you had made it – it won’t. The covers will be lumpy and crooked and not ready for a photo spread in House Beautiful - but it should never be re-done in front of the child! They will feel they can’t please you and will eventually stop attempting the task!

If you are having company and wish for the bed to look a little neater one day, take the vacuum into the room with dusting materials and tell her you’d like to work with her today to tidy the room for guests. Let her help you make the bed and then have her dust while you vacuum. I’m sure she’ll do such a lovely job, you will be happy to let her help in the living room while you clean as well – and she’ll do so willingly! On a future day, not too far away, you will be rewarded with a child who volunteers to help you.

Although on busy mornings, it will be hard to keep up the "intensive training," it will be worth it in the long run. Any adult beginning any new task - working out at the gym - taking a walk in the morning, getting up at a new time - it takes a repetition of a minimum of seven times before the new task becomes routine.

We are raising little ones - and sometimes, we have to be extra attentive to details before a new task evolves into routine! Remember: Repetition teaches Responsibility!]

The copyright of the article Raising a Responsible Child in Early Childhood is owned by Connie Newbauer. Permission to republish Raising a Responsible Child must be granted by the author in writing.