Mathematical Identities

Over the long weekend while I was camping with a few friends, one person from the group was explaining how he had taken to running a local 5km fun run, organised by the local sports club. My friend explained that he had run the race on three different occasions, each time improving his time - the last race he ran, his time had improved significantly. While we were celebrating his improvement he waved us all away saying “No no no! But I’ve been cheating!” How does one cheat a marathon? Was he getting into a taxi at the 3km mark? “I’ve been running in the afternoons! On days in between the races!” My dear friend was met with uproarious laughter and reassurance that he wasn’t cheating, what he was doing is actually called ‘training’.

Although amusing, it did get me thinking. Here is a person who was diagnosed with Autism and ADHD as an adult, who never felt comfortable in the classroom. We have had many conversations over the years about how he considers himself ‘dumb’ and ‘not made for school’ and even decades after leaving the classroom and becoming exceptionally good at his chosen career (in science), my friend’s identity continues to shape his view of himself to such a degree that even training for the local fun run is seen as something other-than-learning. It raises the question for me (one I often enjoy asking people) - “What does learning mean to you, and what does it look like?”

I always find it interesting to ask people what learning looks like and what ‘a good learner’ does to make themselves classified as such. Invariably the response includes qualities such as being quiet, sitting still, answering questions quickly. I want to assure you all that this is not what we aspire to here at BNWPS, but I have asked students this question while lively (and loud) learning occurs around us and the answer remains the same. I don't know why this image of learning persists and perhaps one day I will attempt to uncover an answer! In the meantime I muse - is it because our students don’t realize they are learning while they are having fun? I recall a time when I was a classroom teacher and one of my students exclaimed that we hadn’t ‘done maths’ for weeks. When I asked about the games, investigations and models we had been deeply engaged in, he gave a huff and said that it wasn’t maths - it was fun.

Our young people are constantly taking information in and assimilating it with what they already know and understand. If they have an understanding that learning is hard, boring or ‘not for me’, that is the mindset they will approach their learning. Thankfully times have changed significantly since my friend was at school and now there are many factors both inside and outside the classroom to counteract the idea that learning is hard, rigid or boring - in most subjects. Maths’ reputation seems to still be hanging on.

There are numerous studies on the importance of young people having a mathematical identity (and not of the trigonometry kind). Kendra Jacobs of the University of BC states:

“Building a strong mathematical identity is the cornerstone of a child’s mathematical journey. Nurturing an environment where every student feels valued, capable, and seen as a mathematician can help increase classroom engagement and deep mathematical learning. By instilling a positive and empowering self-concept, students develop a sense of belonging, and their confidence in tackling math challenges soars. Embracing diverse mathematical identities enriches our classroom communities and fosters an inclusive culture that celebrates each student's uniqueness.”

So what can parents and carers do to help build a maths identity in their children? My suggestion would be to first consider what your own mathematical identity is. Are you someone who struggled through maths lessons when you were at school? Do you cringe at the idea of trying to answer 543 x 23? What are the conversations about maths at home (if any)? Parents and carers are one of the biggest influencers of our young people, they admire you, know you exceptionally well and have a lot of time to watch, listen and learn from you. I am not expecting you all to turn into maths geeks that get excited by the number pi, but it is important to be mindful of how you talk about maths.

My second piece of advice is to consider the different types of mathematics that we all engage in every single day. The multiplication problem I mentioned in the last paragraph is one very narrow view of maths. There is also money, time, measurement, scale, temperature, shape, probability, cooking, data, art, music, science and so much more. Think of how many people involved in a trade that said they were no good at maths at school.

Lastly, I would advise making and maintaining space for problem solving at home, allow them to make mistakes and support them to work out where it went wrong. Board games are an excellent source of different mathematical concepts and challenges that are generally age appropriate. If your child is ready to engage in cooking safely, let them run wild - perhaps not with the Christmas lunch, but a snack on the weekend… What's the worst that could happen if the measure of salt or flour is out on a batch of biscuits?