Tips on battling the Gruesomely Ghastly Geometry

“As a 10th grader I was privileged enough to take Geometry,” said no one ever!

Geometry gets a pretty bad reputation. But why? Of all math subjects, geometry is the worst one of them all. At least that’s what it seems like to me when I’m on the phone with parents who are in desperate need of a tutor and support for their kiddos.

Most families reach out to me because there is a need for their children to get some help in math. Geometry is no different in that regard, however, parents tend to say things more along the lines of, “oh I never understood geometry either” (implying that not being about to learn geometry is hereditary) or my favorite is when parents tell me that their children aren’t really going to be architects so “do they even need to know geometry!?” (Yes. The answer to that question is always yes!)

I recall when I was in 10th grade taking my Geometry class, it was hard! It was a completely new way of thinking and approaching math! In fact, I think the teachers and curriculum developers knew that there was some stigma around Geometry, so they changed the name of all of the high school math courses that I took – Integrated Math levels 1, 2 and 3. But no matter how you package a challenging topic and how beautifully you wrap that new way of thinking, people know that it’s still the same nonsense and it’s HARD.

I’m not saying all of this to be the biggest Debbie Downer or Negative Nancy about Geometry. In fact, I think that all of these complaints bring up a great point – parents and students are not sure what they are learning and why they need to learn it. (This will not be a why am I learning math blog post – but if you’re interested please feel free to check this post out.)

Geometry is not just about finding the name of a shape and finding the area or volume of that shape. Instead, Geometry is a way of thinking that you have not yet been exposed to in the classroom. Geometric thinking is the most critical level of thinking that you may encounter in all of math. Interestingly, the most challenging part of math is the most real life part.

Students learn how to prove things are congruent (or the same), students learn how to prove that shapes are actually shapes, and most of all students learn how to give these proofs in the most efficient and effective way possible. If adults think about all of the things that we’ve learned in Geometry class, we will realize that we use those basic skills daily!

Thinking and solving problems in an efficient and effective way?! Don’t we do that daily when we are “in the office” or when we are raising our children, or when we are planning a vacation or road trip?

But still students struggle with Geometry. It’s not unheard of and the struggles will not magically end by the time you finish reading this blog post. However, I would love to share some tips that I have gathered over the last 2 decades that have helped support my Geometry students.

First, be easy on yourselves.

Don’t be too hard on yourself since this is the first time in your schooling career that you are being asked to prove a triangle is a triangle (OK, maybe not exactly that but your are definitely being asked to prove shapes are the same or similar). You will need to take some time to learn the material and that thought process. In my experience it takes about a semester (give or take a few weeks) for students to have that AH-HA moment and understand what is being asked of them. As unfortunate as it sounds, there is something about having your entire thought process change then be asked to just use another thought process daily. This will take time.

Second, use flash cards!

Or some version of flash cards that will help you study the vocabulary. You are asked not only to use a different thought process, but also to use an entirely new set of words to help you explain your thought process. (Remember those pesky theorems and postulates?!) I’ve noticed that students who are able to understand and use the new vocabulary are more equipped to understand the material sooner than at the end of the first semester.

And lastly, solve some problems.

This tip has never been more relevant than it is now. The more problems you solve correctly, the better you will be able to work on solving problems in the classroom on test day. You are helping your brain build its muscles when you solve problems. As any athlete would know, the more you practice a play the right way, the more likely you will be able to make that play work on game day. There are plenty of resources on the internet that give you answer keys to problems, or share with you why your problem is solved incorrectly.

If you’ve been using the flash cards and you’ve been solving more problems on your own time, and you’re still not even sure what Geometry is about. Maybe it’s time to call for help.