Preparing students for the future

Decide to spend some time checking out the Educational Conferences in Finland next year. I think one of the main question that most educators will ask is: How am I preparing my students for the future? The future workforce will not be the same as today's. The challenges our students face will be different. There will be no lack of knowledge and content. That can be easily settled by the wealth of information available on the internet. So what do we teach?

Creativity and Critical Thinking.

We need to empower our students with the skills to be creative. We need to provide training to help them make better choices.

And how can I, as a math tutor, help my students? While math is seen as a subject with very narrow teaching methods and stringent marking schemes, I believe there is still a way to introduce Math as a creative subject.

I recalled a scene that happened in lesson. One of my very bright and promising student handed in his homework and he used a really long method(2 pages long) to solve a seemingly short question. I was very quick to tell him that he used a wrong method, something that brought him on a merry-go-round of working steps and there is a shorter way to do it. I immediately showed him how to do the "right" way and was quick to move on. Despite the lengthy answer, I recognise that he was very focused on what he wanted to get. Most people, if put in that situation, would have given up on the question. But he persisted and eventually got the answer. I felt I should have pointed that out and praised him for that aspect. Then, give him some time to think about his answer and come out with alternative solutions. After all, I feel that he is up to that task.

There was another student. He is a new student and he is really weak in math. He outrightly told me that he hated math. The truth is that, I love these kind of students because I am ready to change his reality. Though he whined and complained, he actually agreed to come for additional class tml to brush up on his algebra. What did I do? I told him that no matter what, he has to do math for the next 3 years until his O levels. To that, he responded by saying that everyone told him that. Hahaha! But most importantly, I told him this: I will never give up on him even if he gives up on math. I am a very persistent people and I will always be here for him to help him.

When he knows I am not letting him go, he kind of buck up a bit. Sorry, kids. As long as God brings  you into my life, I am not going to leave your life the same. You'll be better. You will realise you are more capable that you think you are.

So back to that boy, I'm still thinking how I can make math more relevant and interesting to him. He is actually a national water polo player. Hmmm, maybe I should learn more about the game and speak his lingo more. If anyone of you are there are water polo pros, please let me know how I can relate math to water polo!