Is this the secret to help those struggling with math to build high-level skill?

If you've ever felt rushed, like you're racing the clock to do a math problem, or if you've ever got a test back with red marks on it on a problem you just knew how to do but, when it comes time to review your work, you see you made some basic error, and you're not even sure how it happened, then today's blog is for you.

Because I'm going to share a secret with you that defies common sense in its power to change how you perform in mathematics.

And the secret is this: if you make the conscious decision to purposely slow down and notice new things about the problem you're working on, you will feel like you have superpowers because what used to be difficult feels easy, and your rate of mindless errors will drop to somewhere near zero.

Here's why it's so effective and how to do it.

1. Why does this work so well?

Something you may have never been told in school, I never was, was that the reason you're making errors in your math is just as often a lack of mindful attention as it is a gap in knowledge.

It's true that math curriculums are laid out in a way that build on the knowledge that came before, and there are such things as gaps in knowledge.

But mistakes made during performance are often not the results of a lack of skill or knowledge, they're a lack of mindful awareness.

If you need proof, just consider how many times you've heard a teacher say some variation of this: "remember to read the problem!" Implying that many students are doing operations not related to the problem at all, the way it is phrased.

Or consider how many times you've reviewed one of your mistakes and told yourself, "Oh, that's what it was asking!"

These sorts of errors, where we realize we already knew how to do the problem after we got it wrong, are the result of mindlessness rather than ineptitude.

So simply making the conscious decision to notice what is going on right now, simply holding this intent, has already won most of the battle, because you are no longer drifting away on a daydream while your body runs on autopilot back in the classroom.

The other half of the equation is slowing down.

In our rushed, racing culture, with timed worksheets and competitive classroom structures, where we overtly and covertly reward the student who raises their hand with the correct answer first, and who shows the most enthusiasm, we create an environment where learning, which is best done in a relaxed, playful atmosphere, is all but made impossible except for the student who, for whatever reason , lands on first mover advantage.

I'm going to suggest you drop all that dead weight somewhere else where it belongs. Release the mental bonds of having to go fast.

Instead, make a conscious effort to slow down. Read... the... words... with... pauses... just... because... you... can.

I promise you will save time in the end because performing with a clear understanding of what is happening will spare you all the time it takes to go back and do it again because you made so many mistakes.

You will also have time to check your work and ensure there are no errors, which is actually a sort of Zen delight, like knitting or drawing, when it's done in the right mindset.

2. How to do it.

Slow down is clear enough. Just make sure to pause between words and slow down your thinking. But what do I mean by notice new things about the problem you're working on?

Let's take an example.

Here's a problem from the OpenStax.org Pre-Algebra text:

"There are twelve theaters at the multiplex and each theater has seats. What is the total number of seats at the multiplex?"

If you read this slowly, it will be clear that this is a multiplication problem.

But what is the context of this problem?

Here's the problem that came right before it:

"Ratika is making rice for a dinner party. The number of cups of water is twice the number of cups of rice. If Ratika plans to use cups of rice, how many cups of water does she need?"

And here is the problem right after:

"Lewis needs to put new shingles on his roof. The roof is a rectangle, 30 feet by 24 feet. What is the area of the roof?"

So, one thing you could ask yourself as you're reading this is how is this problem different than the last one or the next one?

Or how is it the same?

Or maybe you could ask yourself how a sketch of this problem might look different than the sketch of another problem.

Personally, for the theater example, I would draw 12 different theaters like boxes, and connect them on some grid, and then dice them up with rows and columns to represent the seats.

This would help me visualize the problem is asking me to multiply 12 theaters x 150 seats per theater.

The roof, however, would look much different. That square would have no lines dicing it up, and it would stand alone. I may even sketch a side view to show the pitch of the roof, a gigantic artistic slant, so that it would make sense to be a rectangle, as opposed to a triangular roof that changes in elevation and thus would not be a rectangle like the problem suggested.

This is what I mean by noticing new things about what you're working on.

When you make the effort to notice new things, no matter how small or seemingly trivial, it is mindfully enlivening.

The conscious choice to notice what is happening in your environment means you're here, you're present, and your mind and body are engaged with the present moment and so your resources are focused on the task at hand.

This seems so simple it's trivial but like most things humans screw up, getting it right is a matter of making just a slight change.

Just a slight change is all it takes to make the difference between effortless excellence on the one hand, or painful drudgery and failure on the other.

All you have to do is slow down and notice something new.