Teachers could quite possibly have the most difficult sales job in the entire world.
How do you justify the merits of learning European History, the square root of 64, or how to conjugate the Spanish word tener to a bunch of hormonal kids?
The most frequently asked question that teachers get from smart aleck students is, “When are we ever going to need this?”
That’s the question that a 1993 conference on “Algebra for All” tried to solve. And the illustrious committee came up with the following, dry reasons:
“1. Algebra provides methods for moving from the specific to the general. It involves discovering the patterns among items in a self and developing the language needed to think about and communicate it to others
2. Algebra provides procedures for manipulating symbols to allow for understanding of the world around us
3. Algebra provides a vehicle for understanding our world through mathematical models
4. Algebra is a science of variables. It enables us to deal with large bodies of data by identifying variables (quantities which change in value) and by imposing or finding structures within the data
5. Algebra is the basic set of ideas and techniques for describing and reasoning about relations between variables and quantities”
Holy MACKEREL.
Is it any reason why students are not motivated to learn Algebra?
The conference was made up of math experts who undoubtedly wanted to come up with the most knowledgeable sounding checklist possible, fulfilling THEIR ego and pride.
Yet the list did NOTHING to help motivate the students, who for years to come, would have to hear these 5 points, and still see no point in Algebra class.
These math experts committed the cardinal marketing sin of not knowing who their prospect is.
Now, read this response from a high school Algebra teacher, Dean Sherman, from an Internet discussion on the same topic:
“My grade 9 students have difficulty appreciating the usefulness of the Standard Form of the equation of a line, prompting them to ask, ‘When are we ever going to need this?’
This question used to really bother me, and I would look, as a result, for justification for everything I taught. Now I say, ‘Never. You will never use this.’
I then go on to remind them that people don’t lift weights so that they will be prepared should, one day, [someone] knock them over on the street and lay a barbell across their chests.
You lift weights so that you can knock over a defensive lineman, or carry your groceries or lift your grandchildren without being sore the next day.
You do math exercises so that you can improve your ability to think logically, so that you can be a better lawyer, doctor, architect, prison warden, or parent.
MATH IS MENTAL WEIGHT TRAINING. It is a means to an end (for most people), not an end in itself.”
Think about this for a moment.
Dean Sherman was in a “market” where almost NOBODY wanted his product.
No one wanted to learn algebra, and the majority of the teachers tried to combat this lack of desire with LOGICAL reasoning.
“You can compute the square root of so and so and think logically about problems and put life’s challenges into equations blah blah blah…”
Congratulations, the kids hate Algebra now.
Instead, Dean translated the positive points of Algebra into EMOTIONAL BENEFITS. Here are the three main points you can apply immediately:
* He reframed the topic by using a more positive and tangible metaphor — weightlifting. Then he compared the emotional benefits of weightlifting (knocking down linemen, carrying groceries, and picking up grandchildren) to the emotional benefits of Algebra (to become better lawyers, doctors, and prison wardens).
* Dean very intelligently lined Algebra up with the dreams and visions that the kids already had for themselves. And he made his students realize that, with the help of Algebra, they could step into the image of who they wanted to become. He made them taste the future.
* Finally, he was honest with his students. Algebra was a smaller part of the big picture. It wasn’t the end all be all. But it could help.
Now, think about your prospects.
Hopefully you know your market well enough so that you deeply understand their desires, their hopes, their dreams, their pains, and their frustrations.
Imagine how much easier it is to fulfill a desire within your market as opposed to trying to make an unpopular topic interesting.
You can really stack the deck in your favor by getting good at translating your features into emotional benefits.
If a regular teacher can do it to convince his students to learn Algebra, you can EASILY do it to show your prospects the solution to their problems.
-James D. Lee
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