TEACHER PERSPECTIVE Take the fear out of algebra By Rhonda Peña
M Our students deserve to enter into junior high with confidence and a strong foundation in the basic concepts of algebra, and all of that begins in the elementary classrooms.
erriam-Webster defines fear as “an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger.” Sometimes just one word can cause fear in someone.The one word that had me shaking in my boots in junior high was …
ALGEBRA Algebra was the dreaded topic in my seventh grade math class that we all knew was coming sooner than later. How many of you had this same, terrifying experience? I would think it is safe to assume that there are many of you that felt the same way.This fear of one simple word is real, but we as educators can do something about it.The answer is quite simple, and it all starts in kindergarten. When our students enter kindergarten, they are learning much more than just social skills, letter and number recognition, and participating in interactive playtime.They are learning about unknown numbers, which are defined as variables in algebra. One apple plus two apples equals ________.Two apples plus ______ equals five apples.They are finding the answer for the unknown number in the problem while using pictures and objects. So why can’t we, or why don’t we, tell them that this concept is algebra? That this is where algebra begins? We can teach them algebraic vocabulary at a very young age, and they can and will memorize the terms. Granted, they may not completely understand, but if we use this learning moment to boost their self esteem in math, why not? This will only give them the courage to face math with a positive attitude and with confidence as they progress through the years. In addition, they are not learning algebra abstractly, like many of us did in junior high. Our teachers just handed us equations and taught us the steps with which to solve them on paper. I can’t remember ever using manipulatives to build an equation and “see” and “feel” how the equation is like a balance scale that should remain balanced. In the lower grades, teachers use manipulatives to help their students see the math concretely therefore building a deeper understanding of the problem rather than just memorizing steps. The Hands-On Equations Algebra kit is helping to build that conceptual understanding for our students in grades three through five across our district here at Mission CISD.The students are able to grasp the basic concepts of algebra due to working out the story problems with their kits.You can see the confidence blooming right before your eyes in just one lesson.When we started using the Hand-On Equations kit, I asked my students before starting the first lesson if they believed that they could do algebra. Practically every one of them said that they would not be able to, that it was too hard. Then I told them,“You have already been doing algebra, since kindergarten!”You should have seen the expressions on their faces! They could not believe that this was true until I showed them the “two apples plus ______ equals five apples” example. Now that we have been using the kit in our district
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