Dive Brief:
- Researchers at Stanford are encouraging teachers to embrace more visual approaches to math, like letting students use their fingers while learning, to support greater math achievement in the long-term.
- According to eCampus News, new brain research finds people naturally visualize math problems when working on them, and helping students develop skills to improve that visualization can improve learning.
- These findings challenge modern math instruction that focuses on memorization and abstract thinking, discouraging students from using their fingers to count.
Dive Insight:
Many students arrive on campus without the math skills they need for college-level coursework. They get put into remedial classes, which too often represent the first and last classes they take. Many colleges have found success with corequisite remediation, putting students directly into credit-bearing courses while offering them the additional supports they need to catch up on earlier topics. Incorporating visual elements into math instruction may be another strategy to improve outcomes in math remediation, as students are catching up on basic skills. And, it could even help students make sense of complex math concepts in higher-level courses.