Why Skill-Building Needs To Come First in Math Education

In gym class, nobody expects a backflip by year end, so playing kickball is fine. In math, students are expected to climb a sky-high skill hierarchy by year end. Classroom activities have to prioritize skill-building or students will inevitably hit walls.

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When students aren’t expected to climb a sky-high skill tree, you can get away with putting “fun” front and center while checking the box on a few basic skills as a byproduct.

If every student in gym class were expected to do a backflip by the end of the year, the instructional approach would have to change. But nobody expects that. Playing kickball works fine.

In math, however, students are expected to climb a sky-high skill tree. Every student takes many years of math courses increasing in difficulty, continually stacking more advanced skills on top of previous ones.

So, when students do the mathematical equivalent of playing kickball during class, and then are expected to do the mathematical equivalent of a backflip at the end of the year, it’s easy to see how struggle and general negative feelings can arise.

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