The Learning Equation
By Mary Ellen Bafumo

Learning occurs most readily when the topic at hand is perceived by students as being relevant to their lives. Connecting learning to life is the hook that reels students into a new concept, engages their interest and demonstrates the usefulness of a new idea. Without such a hook, invariably there is less attention and commitment to learning.

A clear connection
Relevance is actually the catalyst that starts the learning process. Here's how it works. When we see a clear connection between learning something new and the role it plays in our daily lives, we become interested in the topic. When interest proves that the new information is useful to us, motivation to learn kicks in.

Research on human brain functioning documents the vital role of motivation in the learning process. Common sense and our personal learning experiences demonstrated that long before the research was available. Simply stated, if something is both interesting and useful to us, we attend to learning about it. Our students are no different. When it comes to math, a topic that can often be intimidating for children, the role of relevance as a catalyst for learning is even more critical.

Everyday math
Making math relevant goes beyond helping students see that math is used in everyday life for making purchases, measuring for carpeting, counting change and any of the many daily activities that require calculations and number sense. It means personalizing math by using student (and family) names and information like numbers of family members, heights, birth dates, weights, addresses and more as you teach math. This isn't a new idea by any means, but it is one that is underutilized in a subject that requires students to tune in, focus and think at higher levels. The rule of thumb is to recall that school-age children are egocentric. If you want to get their attention (which generates interest and motivation), you need to place them at the center of teaching activity.

Personalizing math
My favorite math teacher is at the high school level, but her approach works in any grade. She uses student names, interests and humor to hook students on math. Word problems always focus on students in her classes. The names are always real and sometimes the situations are, too. At other times they are flights of fancy, but students are attentive because they know their names and life experiences will always show up in math class.

If you work with primary students, try these basic activities to personalize math in your classroom:

1. Have students create equations for addition and subtraction using the numbers of people in their family. For example: Draw and label the members of your family and write an equation that shows how many people there are.
2. Help students create a pictograph of the numbers of males and females in their classroom family. Which number is >?
3. Ask your students to tally favorite foods among their family members (pizza, ice cream, etc.) and add their totals to a classroom bar graph. Which food is the favorite, least favorite and which foods are tied? Once number totals are determined, ask which is greater, pizza or hot dogs? Which is less, broccoli or carrots?

More word problems
If you work with older students, try combining several math processes into word problems.

1. Jessi and Esmé left their math books in the school library. It takes them seven minutes to walk to the library from math class, six minutes to walk to the office, four minutes to get a late pass and three more minutes to get into class.
• How much time are they missing from a 50-minute math class?


• Write the number as a percent of their full class period. Be sure to show your work.


2. Send home a paper ruler (photocopy a ruler) and ask students to measure the height of every family member and then calculate the following:
• the total number of inches


• the average height of family
  members in inches


• convert the inches to feet


• convert the feet to yards


• Make up a page that lists the costs involved in a Disney vacation: tickets, hotels, meals, transportation and typical souvenirs. Students calculate the cost of a vacation for their family staying at the most and least expensive hotels, driving x number of miles @ .449 cents per mile versus airfare and purchasing one souvenir per family member.

Always give students a chance to share their responses, as it's an opportunity to highlight their families as well as their math skills. Try personalizing math and see the difference it makes in your students' achievement!

Mary Ellen Bafumo is a Program Director for the Council on Educational Change, an Annenberg legacy group. Email: bafumome@aol.com

January, 2007, Vol.37, No.4