Dan Meyer and Teaching Math

Dan Meyer's Ted Talk And Teaching Mathematics

Math is many students' least favorite subject -- and yet, excelling in math is vitally important for individual student's success as well as for the success of America in the future. According to teacher Dan Meyer, in today's modern math curriculum there is too much of a focus on manipulating equations and not enough of an emphasis on problem-solving. "So 90% of what I do with my five hours of prep time per week is to take fairly compelling elements of problems like this from my textbook and rebuild them in a way that supports math reasoning and patient problem solving" (Meyer 2010). By focusing on problem solving Meyer is also better able to reach math-phobic students. When math is presented in a 'real world' format, then "every student is on a level playing field of intuition" (Meyer 2010). Meyer also begins his presentations with visuals to help ground the math with examples. Meyer tests to see whether his students have a grasp of the material by asking them to apply the skills they have learned, rather than regurgitate facts and plug in numbers into a formula.

Meyer's theories may sound cutting-edge, but in fact they trace back to much older ideas about education. The constructivist theory of education stresses that learners must be actively involved in the process of knowledge acquisition. "Learning consists both of constructing meaning and constructing systems of meaning" (Hein 1991). Meyer notes that students tend to dislike word problems because they find them confusing and do not know how to break the problems down. By forcing students to apply mathematical principles when the concepts are first introduced, rather than later on as is often done, Meyer ensures that students have the internalized system of understanding mathematics rather than simply replicate what they see the teacher do on the board.

Meyer's approach also resonates with constructivism because it allows the class to tackle a math problem as a group, rather than isolates students as they figure out equations on an individual basis. This allows stronger students to learn from weaker students; another critical component of constructivism. "Learning is a social activity: our learning is intimately associated with our connection with other human beings, our teachers, our peers, our family as well as casual acquaintances, including the people before us or next to us at the exhibit. We are more likely to be successful in our efforts to educate if we recognize this principle rather than try to avoid it" (Hein 1991).

Meyer does not explicitly say he applies a constructivist approach, but the ideas behind his class structure seem to resonate with constructivism's fundamental principle: "learning is contextual: we do not learn isolated facts and theories in some abstract ethereal land of the mind separate from the rest of our lives: we learn in relationship to what else we know, what we believe, our prejudices and our fears" (Hein 1991). Meyer strives to relate math to what the students know -- the dynamics of a ski lift rather than abstract formulas. He also openly confronts his students' math phobias rather than ignores them and presents the material in a manner to make them feel empowered rather than afraid.