Durham students are reinventing the way they learn math

Grade 10 student Jaden White says she had never thought of herself as a “math person,” but she can beat her classmates in a game of tic-tac-toe.

She said playing games has helped her better understand the subject.

But she said since joining Math Councils, she has not only wanted to learn about the subject — she wants to change the way it’s taught.

The Councils are groups of students and teachers formed at different Durham Catholic District School Board schools, and their aim is to have students collaborate with teachers to let them know the best way to teach the subject and engage students.

In Oshawa on Tuesday, dozens of students from the Councils tested out new, innovative ways to learn, including standing desks, writing on whiteboards, and White’s favourite way to learn: playing board games.

“If I don’t understand it, I know I have my peers and my teachers to help me out,” said White.

“I’m not as stressed out as I used to be.”

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“What we really… want to do is focus on the collaborative experience,” said Santiago Aguilar, another Councils member.

Wednesday’s student meeting comes as the Ontario government has flagged three of the Durham catholic board’s schools as needing “intensive support,” which includes better teaching tools. The schools received this designation because many of its students earned low scores on recent EQAO tests.

These new learning methods may help boost students’ grades, said the executive director of the Council of Ontario Directors of Education.

“I think the new learning methods should be some alternatives that progressive teachers would offer,” Frank Kelly said. “They appeal, in a lot of ways, to the minds of students who are used to working with computers and working with digital concepts.”

White said she has come a long way when it comes to learning math — she is now taking academic courses, and she is traveling to Norway with the school board in the spring to share her ideas with international students.

“I feel a lot more confident,” she said. “I can raise my hand in front of the teacher now and I don’t feel like I’m going to be judged.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I feel a lot more confident," she said. "I can raise my hand in front of the teacher now and I don't feel like I'm going to be judged."