Attitude and achievement of the disengaged pupil in the mathematics classroom (Updated)
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InclusionPupil grouping and organisation of classes
Mathematics
What does this report tell us about the 'disengaged pupil'?
The authors found that students in the focus group seemed to engage in mathematical tasks out of a sense of duty and obligation towards parents or school, but appeared to find their mathematics work a joyless task. By studying pupil interview data and other evidence from lesson observations, they identified five issues common to the disaffected student:
Tedium: Pupils frequently used words such as 'boring', citing examples of mathematical tasks and activities that appeared irrelevant and tedious, and offered no opportunity for activity. The skills that were offered were seen by some as an 'isolated body of non-transferable knowledge, steeped in symbolism and abstract concepts'. There were occasions when the students found the use of symbolism alienating, but attempts by teachers to contextualise mathematics through practical activities was not proving effective. In fact some students seemed to feel resentful towards such activities.
Isolation: Mathematics was perceived by the students as offering little opportunity to work with peers in a collaborative style to aid understanding. The students demonstrated a clear preference for this style of working, for both practical activities and textbook exercises. They emphasised the importance of negotiation and explanation, in communicating with their peers, as an efficient means of not only completing tasks, but generating a better understanding of the project. The researchers questioned whether current teaching styles were based on the view that mathematics demanded high levels of concentration and that pupils worked better away from the distraction of others.
Rote- Learning: Several students in the study viewed mathematics as a set of rules that provided unquestionable and unique methods to answering problems. Certain students saw memorisation and mimicking of procedures demonstrated by the teacher as an efficient route to achieving better results, but admitted that this was not very satisfying. In contrast, subjects such as art were perceived as less rigid.
The authors suggest that underlying this dissatisfaction with 'dry' mathematics could be a desire for a deeper, more essential understanding of the subject and for a more meaningful engagement with mathematics. Indeed, students expressed strong, positive attitudes towards mathematical concepts that they had a firm grasp of, but were frustrated when lack of time meant tasks had to be completed without this gratifying sense of understanding.
Elitism: Teachers’ attempts to simplify mathematical thinking through algorithms or formulae could have added to learners’ confusion. The authors suggested that an algorithm or formula often compressed, and assumed an understanding of, a number of mathematical ideas. So it was possible for teachers to see a task as straightforward and accessible when it was not easily understood by the pupils.
A significant finding in this study was that students seemed to perceive mathematics as a demanding subject, in which only exceptionally intelligent people can actually succeed. Lack of success in mathematics tended to be interpreted by the students as being due to lack of intelligence on their part, which led to overwhelmingly negative feelings about their own mathematical ability.
The authors pointed out that such images of the students' own fragile ability in mathematics may then be further undermined in the current school environment of setting and testing. A small but significant number of students perceived the more capable teachers as being allocated to the higher sets. The authors reported that students in the top set were seen as ‘elitist’ and ‘frightening’. Students appeared to find the system of setting too judgemental and the resulting blows to their mathematical confidence often painful.
De-personalisation: The authors suggested that an inherent hierarchy, based on setting, altered the nature of the classroom experience from one that accommodated the learner’s needs to one that focused on each learner’s position within this hierarchy.
The students expressed their feelings of alienation towards this perceived system of status through position ‘in the pecking order’ and expressed a desire for an alternative learning environment recognising individual needs and achievements.
Individualised learning schemes such as SMILE (School Mathematics Individual Learning Experience) seemed to be appreciated by some students for its attempt to address the issue of learning at one’s own pace, but was criticised by others who wanted a more interactive mathematical experience. The authors drew attention to the fact that, although students resented the hierarchical nature of setting, they also acknowledged its value in the allocation of individual work that was suited to learners’ needs.
The authors used this categorisation (TIRED) to offer a strong message for those involved in mathematics teaching. In the absence of mathematical experiences suited to individual needs and consequent feelings of success and self-esteem, they said that students become alienated from the subject and eventually chose not to study it.
