Verónica Sánchez
Five times one, five. Five times two, ten. Five times three, fifteen. Does it ring a bell?
At Innovamat, we understand that doing mathematics is much more than memorizing multiplication tables and mechanizing algorithms. It is about being able to look for patterns to better understand the world. It is understanding that mathematics is a way to improve our problem-solving strategies, which involve reasoning, communicating, and representing. And, of course, it is also about connecting knowledge with the world inside and outside of mathematics.
And even more: we are sure that mathematics is for everyone; not in the same way, as we explain in this article on attention to diversity, but for everybody. Whatever the student, they all fit.
Mathematics and socio-affective skills
We understand math class as a fertile field where socio-affective skills grow: it is a mirror that teaches us how we handle frustration, how our self-esteem or self-concept suffers when we make mistakes, or how we work on resilience.
For the class to truly be a fertile field, we need to flee from mechanization and opacity and move closer to manipulation, discussion, and transparency. Approach making mistakes by understanding what we have failed at and why, and use them as a springboard to move forward. This is how we ignite the minds of our students. This is how math class brings us closer to a deeper understanding of the human soul.
Laura Ansorena
Marc Caelles
Albert Vilalta
