Defeating Negative Self-Talk

One of the biggest problems with the college students I teach is their math anxiety level. Math anxiety is the felling of tension and anxiety that interferes with the manipulation of numbers and the solving of math problems during tests. In other words - mathphobia! This is a learned condition, not something they are born with and is in no way related to how smart a student is. In my Conquering College class, we have been looking at causes for anxiety which include bad experiences, teacher and/peer embarrassment and humiliation, or being shamed by family members. We've been looking at ways to reduce math anxiety such as short term relaxation as well as long term techniques and managing negative self-talk.

For many of my students, a song is the best way of remembering. I found an old nonsense song by Roger Miller entitled, You Can't Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd. First we read over the words. Next we watched a video on You Tube and then we actually sang the song. I replaced the words "But Ya can be happy if you've a mind to" with "But ya can be positive if you put your mind to it."

You Can’t Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd

By Roger Miller

Ya can’t roller skate in a buffalo herd,

Ya can’t roller skate in a buffalo herd,

  Ya can’t roller skate in a buffalo herd,

*But ya can be positive if ya put your mind to it.

 Ya can’t take a shower in a parakeet cage,

 Ya can’t take a shower in a parakeet cage,

 Ya can’t take a shower in a parakeet cage,

 *But ya can be positive if ya put your mind to it.

All ya gotta do is put your mind to it,

Knuckle down, buckle down,

Do it, do it, do it!

Well, ya can’t go swimmin’ in a baseball pool,

Well, ya can’t go swimmin’ in a baseball pool,

Well, ya can’t go swimmin’ in a baseball pool,

 *But ya can be positive if ya put your mind to it.

Ya can’t change film with a kid on your back,

Ya can’t change film with a kid on your back,

Ya can’t change film with a kid on your back,

 *But ya can be positive if ya put your mind to it.

Ya can’t drive around with a tiger in your car,

Ya can’t drive around with a tiger in your car,

Ya can’t drive around with a tiger in your car,

*But ya can be positive if ya put your mind to it.

All ya gotta do is put your mind to it,

Knuckle down, buckle down,

Do it, do it, do it!

Well, ya can’t roller skate in a buffalo herd,

Ya can’t roller skate in a buffalo herd,

Ya can’t roller skate in a buffalo herd,

 *But ya can be positive if ya put your mind to it.

Ya can’t go fishin’ in a watermelon patch,

Ya can’t go fishin’ in a watermelon patch,

Ya can’t go fishin’ in a watermelon patch,

*But ya can be positive if ya put your mind to it.

 Ya can’t roller skate in a buffalo herd,

 Ya can’t roller skate in a buffalo herd,

  Ya can’t roller skate in a buffalo herd,

  *But ya can be positive if ya put your mind to it.

So how did the lesson go? Let's just say that my college students were having so much fun singing the song that the secretary had to come and shut our classroom door. And the response from the students the next day, "I can't get that song out of mind!" Maybe negative self-talk has finally met its match!

"Sum" More Quick Tricks

Sometimes, my students think, I am a magician who pulls answers out of a hat. Over the years, I have learned that mathematicians are ingenious people who are always looking for quick and easy ways to do things. Maybe that's why we now have graphing calculators and computer programs to figure taxes.
I have a friend who teaches math on the college level in North Carolina. In fact, we have been friends since 6th grade, but that's another story. When she read one of my posts, she shared a trick for quickly finding a sum. Her trick has to do with a sequence that begins with any number, with any number of terms as long as they are separated by the same amount. For instance, the series below is a six number sequence with a difference of two between each number.

Here is what you do to quickly to find the sum. Add the first and last terms. 5 + 15 = 20. Now multiply by the number of terms which in this case is 6. 20 x 6 = 120 Finally, divide by 2. So, mentally this is what it would look like.

Now, how many of you went back to add up 5 + 7 + 9 + 11 + 13 + 15? Did you get the answer of 60? Isn't it amazing!?! Maybe math teachers are magicians after all!

   

Quick Times - Multiplication Tricks

I am always looking for different strategies when working with my remedial college students since many of the ways they were taught to do math aren't working for them.  I came across this "Quick Times" method and thought it would be another approach I could share with my mathphobics for multiplying.  They love anything that is different, quick and makes them look astute when doing mathematics.

Let's assume we have the multiplication problem of 41 x 12.  In the Quick Times method, first start by multiplying the first digit of 41 by the first digit of 12 to get the first digit of our answer.  We then multiply the second digit of 41 by the second digit of 12 as seen below to get the last digit of our answer (the ones place).

Now we need to find the middle digit of the product.  This is done by multiplying the outside digits, then the inside digits, and adding those two products together as shown below.

This quick method will only work when multiplying two digit numbers by two digit numbers, but it does cause the students to do mental math.  My students like the challenge of doing all of the computation in their heads.  Let's try another one that is a little different.  Let's do 63 x 41.  Again we multiply the first digit of each number and then the second digit of each number to get the first digits of the answer and the last digit of the answer.

As before, multiply the outside digits, then the inside digits, and add the two products together.

Now we must put the 18 into the middle spot, but there is only room for one digit in the tens place.  YIKES!!  What do we do now?  Very easy....because we can only have one digit where the question mark is, we must regroup (carry) the one in the tens place of the 18 and then add it to the 24.

Have you figured out the final answer?  It is.....

You are probably thinking the old method works so much better, but that is only because that is the method you are use to using.  Why not try the ones below using the Quick Times method and see if you get the correct answer.  Use the old method or a calculator to check your answers or go the the answer page above.

a)  36 x 21       b)  24 x  12      c)  48 x 29       d)  59 x 18       e)  63 x 13     

Aliens and Trapezoids

I am always looking for ways to help my students remember things.  For example, when we learn about the properties of one, I sing (yes I do, and a little off key) One is the Loneliest Number.  Since there are so many quadrilaterals to learn (*7 in all), I create quadrilateral stories.  Here is one of my students' favorites.  (Keep in mind, these are college students.)

Once upon a time, I planted a broccoli garden in my backyard.  Since I love geometry, I placed triangle statues all around my garden.  Every morning I would go out to my garden to weed, hoe, fertilize, and water my precious broccoli plants.  One morning, I noticed several of my plants had been eaten.  I was one upset lady; so, I decided to stay up all night and watch to see which critters had the nerve to venture into my garden for a broccoli feast.

That night, I sat at my bedroom window watching the garden.  All of a sudden, out of the sky, came a UFO which landed in my backyard.  As I watched, the door of the UFO opened (I use my arms to imitate the opening door while I say, S-q-e-a-k!) and out came some little aliens.  As they approached my broccoli, they repeated, "Zoid, zoid, zoid".  (I use a high alien like voice.) Sure enough, they ate several of my plants!  They then proceeded back to their spaceship and flew away. 

The same thing happened the following night and the night after that; so, I knew something had to be done.  I went to my garage, and got out my trusty chain saw to cut off the top of each of my triangles.  (I imitate the noise of a chain saw.)  Inside each cut off triangle I placed a bunch of broccoli to entice my visitors.  I knew if those aliens got inside, they would never get out because of the slanting sides.  I went back into my house to wait.

Sure enough, like clockwork, the UFO returned.  Again, the door of the UFO opened (s-q-e-a-k!) and out came the same little aliens. They proceeded to my cut off triangles, and perched on the edge peering down at the broccoli, all the while saying, "Zoid, zoid, zoid".  One by one they leaped inside to eat the broccoli, and guess what.  I trapped-a-zoid!  Okay, you may not be laughing, but I swear this story does help my students to remember what a trapezoid is. 

Let's discuss a couple of important math things about trapezoids that you may not be aware of.   In my story, the trapezoid is an isosceles trapezoid or as sometimes called, a regular trapezoid.  Not only does it have one set of opposite sides parallel, but it also has one set of opposite sides equal (marked with the black line segments).  It also has one line of symmetry which cuts the trapezoid in half (the blue dotted line).  This special trapezoid is usually the one taught by most teachers, but it is really a special kind of trapezoid. 

   trapezoid                                   isosceles trapezoid

For a quadrilateral to be classified as a trapezoid, the shape only needs to have one set of opposite sides parallel as seen in figure one.  The first trapezoid is the one that sometimes appears on tests to "trick" our students.

In the second figure (the isosceles or regular trapezoid), the sides that are not parallel are equal in length and both angles coming from a parallel side are equal (shown on the right).  Lucky for me that I used the second trapezoid for my trap or my zoids would have been long gone, and with my entire crop of broccoli, too!

*square, rectangle, rhombus, parallelogram, trapezoid, kite, trapezium