My Students Are Calculators

Over the past few weeks, I've come to the slow realization that my students are calculators. Not in a good way (how are we going to divide up this bill equally?), but in a terrible way (you can't do this problem because it's not worded exactly like the last one I did?). They have been programmed to simply plug-and-chug in math class for their entire mathematical careers. This tends to be a large issue when it comes to problem solving skills and logic in mathematics.

On one hand, it makes tests very easy for these kids- that is IF they understand the directions first. On the other hand however, it makes them utterly helpless when it comes to solving a problem they have never seen before. They not only lack creativity when solving problems, but also a general understanding of what they should try to do if they get stuck.

It makes it very frustrating as a teacher because I don't know how to undo fourteen years of black and white instruction and introduce a little grey area in their math worlds.